When Smiles Fade

What is this book about?

Emma was unloved from the moment she was born. Her earliest memory is being severely beaten by her father, Pepper Murphy, when she was eight-years-old. Seething with resentment over the sacrifice of his dreams for a woman he cares little about and children he never wanted, Pepper chooses to blame his oldest daughter. Her mother, Valerie, makes matters worse with her verbal abuse, leaving Emma isolated with a man that had no boundaries in punishing his daughter, taking his abuse to unimaginable levels.

Emma's father's coldblooded beatings and the ultimate abuse to which he subjects her, lays the foundation of the person she becomes. As she matures into a resourceful teenager, she is unwilling and unable to stifle her desire for revenge. Reaching her breaking point she can no longer control the impulse to fight back and finally takes matters into her own hands.

Having learned the art of hatred from her father and the mastery of manipulation from her mother, young Emma now sets out to make a better life for herself, leaving the memory of the abused child she had once been behind her. Hardened by the heartless brutality she encounters and the dangerous situations she must overcome in the course of her journey, she faces every challenge that comes her way in her quest for a normal life for herself and for those she loves.

Finally a person emerges from within that guides her toward a better life until she learns of a secret that sets her on the path of ultimate redemption.

What I thought...

★★

I gave this book 2 out of three stars.

I liked that the author gave a realistic look at the life a child who grew up abused and in poverty. There was a lot of rape scenes, but the reality of it is, children in such circumstances as Emma and Gracie were in see and experience much more violence and sexual assault than the rest of the population. Someone who is sexually abused once is more likely to have it happen again. It wasn't nice to read, but it was realistic. I also liked that it showed the positive side to Emma and the negative side. She treated those she loved well, and would do anything to keep them from hurting. That said, getting away with murder so many times is highly unlikely. But it showed that even killers have another side to them and that what is endured in life sometimes plays a role in the actions we take.

It took me awhile to read it because I had several issues with it. First, it was very repetitive. The first section of the book was all about the abuse Emma and her sister endured at the hands of their parents. But it was brought up over and over again throughout the book, restating the amount of abuse they had suffered. Which brings about my second issue. There was to much explanation as to why Emma did everything she did. I didn't see the need to explain everything she said, thought and did and I feel it took away from the story. Third, there was something off about the writing for me- it was to matter of fact and choppy. I think it would have been better if it was written in another tense. As I was reading I was thinking that this must be the authors first novel so I was surprised to see that it wasn't.

Overall, I can't say I enjoyed it, but I thought it was okay. I would be interested in reading more about Emma and Izzy. I think Sydney's story would be interesting to read.

Want more?

For information about the author check out her webpage at: http://www.paigedearth.com/ . There is also information about her other books.