Split by Swati Avasthi
March 2010 by Random House/Alfred A. Knopf BFYR
Paperback ARC- 282 pages
Review Copy
Book Synopsis
Sixteen-Year-Old Jace Witherspoon arrives at the doorstep of his estranged brother Christian with a re-landscaped face (courtesy of his father’s fist), $3.84, and a secret. He tries to move on, going for new friends, a new school, and a new job, but all his changes can’t make him forget what he left behind—his mother, who is still trapped with his dad, and his ex-girlfriend, who is keeping his secret. At least so far. Worst of all, Jace realizes that if he really wants to move forward, he may first have to do what scares him most: He may have to go back. First-time novelist Swati Avasthi has created a riveting and remarkably nuanced portrait of what happens after. After you’ve said enough, after you’ve run, after you’ve made the split — how do you begin to live again? (GoodReads)
Memorable quote
Count to ten and visualize. One, two, three….my dad would have the table overturned by now. Four, five, six…….twisting an arm behind her back………………………seven, eight, nine…..Counting is not working, and I have a feeling these are the wrong visualizations.
Pg. 77 (Jace trying to control his anger)
Haunting quote
He hits her she cleans. He shoves her down and stomps on her, boot marks imprinted on the small of her back, she scrubs the floors. He rapes her; she gets out the Q-tips to bleach the grout.
Pg. 18
Review
You would think Jace had it all. Good looks, popularity, wealth and everything needed to fit into the social standards coming from an influential family. Only Jace has been harboring a terrible secret, a secret that slowly like toxic mold begins to spread in every corner of his life.
Ever since Jace can remember his father has beaten his mother. When he was very young the beatings his mother endured silently began to transfer to his older brother Christian. A brother that stood in front of his mother to take the hit, a brother who provoked a father to protect the rest of the family, a brother who years back- ran away from the brutality of his father’s fists. Always the silent witness to his father’s evil, one quiet evening after seeing Q-tips on the counter, (a sight that signified rape for his mother) Jace finally strikes back and hits his father in the face, this lands him a beating and a one way ticket out the front door.
Alone and scared Jace’s only option is find his brother Christian and hope that he lets him in. When Christian sees Jace it comes with shock and hesitation, but he does let Jace move in and together they work through the garbage left in their hearts from a father who long ago created a cycle of pain and evil that either one has managed to shake off. The brothers, who are not close,come to realize that their father’s abuse has left different taints in both of them. Christian who protects himself and shuts down and Jace whose anger is so out of control he envisions hitting and choking and even at some points does just that.
As we the readers reflect back with Jace on past memories, we see the awful abuse the family went through. One particular scene “the garage incident” was so frightening I literally felt trapped with them as that garage door went down. Avasthi's writing practically pulls you into the pages and as connections to the past help us see where Jace is coming from, and why at the same time you can’t stand what he is becoming- you understand why he is. The odds are entirely against him, but the story doesn’t leave us without hope- we see strength and normalcy represented in healing characters and we see that there is survival after the snare of domestic abuse- that one who was lost can break the cycle and move forward.
Swati Avasthi has written a profound debut novel, raw with emotion and a stomach clinching page turner that tosses the reader about with frustration, horror and hope. If anyone has ever grown up with abuse or has been a part of a family with abuse this book although fiction can really strike close to home.
Rating
Not for the faint of heart, Split is very violent and contains graphic language, graphic sexuality, abuse and abandonment. Recommended for the mature teen (11th grade and up) and adult.
4.5/5 – YA, Abuse, Domestic Violence
Review Copy Provided by Around the World/ Princess Bookie Tours
Is it just me or is everyone reading this book? I've read over ten reviews for this book in less than 2 weeks! I'm glad you liked this book and I've been meaning to pick it up. Great review (and yeah, I've also heard of the violence in the book)
ReplyDeleteGreat review! I reviewed this one a couple weeks ago, and I gave it the exact same rating. It is a bit graphic and raw, but I guess that's partly what makes it so good (though I was bit disturbed when actually reading it). :)
ReplyDeleteWow! This sounds like an awesome book. I'm going to put it on my list. Thanks for this great review.
ReplyDeleteSounds great..but I am a chicken :(
ReplyDeleteSounds like a difficult read but a great one. I'm all for realistic portrayals of what sadly occurs in the real world.
ReplyDelete