Review: “The Trauma Child”
The author invited me to review this book, as I had previously reviewed another one of her books “The Perfect Face“, and I grabbed it off an ARC program.
The Premise
After witnessing a murder, Neely and her 10-year-old daughter Arial move to Neely’s childhood home in the countryside. Neely envisions this change as starting over a new leaf in a place she feels safe. Sadly, it’s just not to be — this poor single mom can’t catch a break. On top of money worries, co-parenting issues, job insecurity and a myriad of other things, her daughter also seems to be possessed. Arial begins spouting crude things beyond her years, shocking Neely and everyone around them, and commits violent acts that she has no recollection of afterwards. Is she just traumatised from what she witnessed (as doctors believe), or is there something far deeper and darker at work here?
The Pros & Cons
This was a gripping thriller that grabs you from the start. With a sweet moment fatally ripped to shreds by a violent stranger, your heart immediately goes out to the protagonists Neely and her daughter Arial.
The writer’s style draws you in and engages you from beginning to end as the tale unfolds. I like the way she developed the characters so that we get a real sense of who we’re rooting for. I also appreciated that Neely embraced ALL potential causes of her daughter’s behaviour fairly quickly. She dove in head-first as a mama; she was pragmatic and hitting it all from all angles: paediatrician, psychologist, and exorcist! I also absolutely loved Salem, who was just perfectly portrayed and (though there was zero need for romance in this thriller!) I entirely forgave that because he was so awesome.
I also loved Neely’s back story, but my main disappointment is also linked to this — the author writes it all so beautifully, giving us a full picture of the journey from being groomed as a child, and then… well, though I loved the twist with female empowerment, it felt contradictory that the douche daddy got so much real estate throughout the novel only for it to fizzle out towards the end. The big horror-thrill climax was good, and as things wrapped up I was glad Neely finally caught a break, but I must admit that it became maybe a bit *too* saccharine-sweet for the genre expectations!
Conclusion
Despite those wee niggles which most likely won’t bug most readers, overall this was a solid, fast-paced read that hits all the right notes of creepy, angsty, and sweet all in one. From motherhood to romance to friendship to thriller, it touches on a lot of themes to pull it all together into a cohesive story that is easy to connect to and love. As my second novel by this author, I noted some similarities in my feelings between my last book and this one. Though this one didn’t quite “drop me off a cliff” like the last one (I kept expecting a twistier twist here, but that’s just me!), I am thrilled that “The Trauma Child” didn’t disappoint, and I look forward to more of her work.
