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CM . . .
. Volume XX Number 14. . . .December 6, 2013
excerpt:
So reads the latest entry in Kat Thompson�s journal. It�s the beginning of September, and her family is loading up the their SUV with her older brother Jared�s belongings as he heads off for his �university adventure.� Kat is envious because her good-looking and charming brother is getting ready to escape and enjoy �the time of his life.� Kat is not happy, and indeed, the Thompsons are one tense family. On the surface, everything looks like the picture of middle-class perfection: Dad is a successful lawyer, Mom teaches at the local elementary school, and things look just fine. But, they�re not. This is one very tense family unit; Dad is a �control freak�, and even Jared admits that �he can be a jerk� (p.12). Mom does her best to be conciliatory: keeping the peace and avoiding conflict are all-important. And then, there�s Greg and Amy, Kat�s parents� closest friends. Greg and her dad were high school football buddies, attended university together and now are partners in a law practice. With no children of their own, Greg and Amy are like an uncle and aunt to Jared, Kat, and their younger sister, Sarah. But, over time, Greg�s interest in Kat has changed, and now he is anything but avuncular: �The sudden touch of his hand on my shoulder makes me drop my sweatshirt. I feel his fingers massaging my shoulder, creeping under my sleeve to stroke bare skin. �Turn around. I�d like to see my special girl.�� (p.15) And Kat is worried about leaving her younger sister alone with him, even if Amy is present. Kat�s journal reveals a plethora of emotions: confusion, self-loathing, fear, and an overwhelming belief that, even if she discloses the truth about Greg�s abuse, no one will believe her. However, her work at the local hospital offers her the one solace in her life. Her Aunt Sheila, a pediatrician, has arranged a volunteer position for Kat, and it is work that she absolutely loves � reading stories to the kids, playing games, or just hanging out and watching television with them. Dr. Williams� latest case is a young girl named Taylor Bradford who has presented with some unusual injuries: bruising, cuts, and a broken arm. It�s clear that some sort of physical abuse is happening in the Bradford home, and Dr. Williams is on a mission to find out the truth. Kat and Taylor connect, perhaps because Kat empathizes with the little�s girl�s situation: she, too, is desperately unhappy and is carrying a sad family secret. As the story progresses, it is clear that the burden of Kat�s secret is crushing her. Even more oppressive is Greg�s manipulative behaviour, convincing her that she is weak, and unworthy of anyone�s attentions but his. Many teenagers have testy relationships with their parents, but Kat�s is particularly difficult, and when her best female friend, Steph, goes crazy over someone named Mike, Kat feels even more alone. She writes in her journal that �Steph and I have always been able to talk about anything until lately. All she talks about now is boys, fancy clothes, and makeup. It bugs me that I�m feeling this way. She�s been my best friend forever.� (p. 42) Typical teenage girl stuff, one would think, but for Kat, interest in men is a major betrayal; Greg has made her see herself as nothing but an object of someone�s perverse needs. And make no mistake about it, Greg is perverse and downright creepy. Even the kind and courtly attention of Scott, Steph�s twin brother, fails to impress Kat: men have treated her badly, and she�s not interested in him, although Scott does become a significant source of emotional support for her. But finally, a crisis forces everyone to confront some very ugly truths. Little Sarah goes missing, and, in the course of search to find her, Greg �s wife Amy finds her husband with Kat and can no longer pretend that there�s nothing more than family affection between the two. And when Kat finds that her journal is missing, and that Amy has taken it from the childhood playhouse that was Kat�s refuge, the truth, in all its ugliness, must be confronted by everyone. Secrecy is the hallmark of many serious dysfunctions, and Until Today shows the corrosive power of hiding a terrible truth. Kat�s reluctance to disclose her abuse is understandable, even though it is clear that pretense is destroying her. Certainly, Until Today is a story which would make other abuse victims realize that they are not alone and that they must find a trusted individual in whom to confide. At times, it seemed as if Kat�s thoughts were those of someone much older than a 15 or 16-year-old, and some of the dialogue just didn�t ring true. When Kat begins to relate her story to the detective who handles the case, Detective Donaldson tells her, �I�m thrilled to meet such a brave survivor.� Kat�s response is to �remain silent, eager to hear more. An inner glow starts to grow when I hear the word survivor. What a beautiful word. I�m no longer a victim, I�m a survivor. I will fight this and I will survive.� (p.178) True, but I don�t think that�s quite how a 16-year-old might state it. Until Today is a work of fiction, although the author states that it has its origin in real-life experiences of sexual and mental abuse (�Acknowledgements�). It is the story of one young woman�s horrible experience at the hands of a trusted family friend, and a work that can be recommended by guidance and counselling staff to students in this terrible situation. Recommended. Joanne Peters, a retired high school teacher-librarian, lives in Winnipeg, MB.
To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca. Copyright � the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.
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