Louder Than Words

June 1, 2013

Gr 9 Up-Seventeen-year-old Sasha is suffering from amnesia and hysterical mutism as a result of post-traumatic stress. At 13, she was the only survivor of a car accident that killed her parents and older sister. Now she lives with her aunt and uncle and is counseled by a psychiatrist. Enter Ben, a hunky classmate who carries a torch for Sasha. Coincidentally, he and his family live in her old house, and Ben is conveniently telepathic. Sasha juggles three narratives: a silent dialogue with Ben, one with herself that he eavesdrops on, and one that Ben seems locked out of in which she stage-whispers to readers. Adding to the melodrama, she is stalked by four high school thugs and is cornered, taunted, and almost gang raped before Ben comes to her rescue. Twice. He begins sex therapy to help Sasha scream and speak her first words in four years. Instead of being overjoyed to regain her speech, she is fixated on the growing sexual attraction between them. Then there's a dark memory shift as the teen suspects that her world-famous psychiatrist has a hidden agenda. Sasha is a feisty character with a sense of humor, but the superhero boyfriend, the malevolent thugs, the abundant sexuality, and a psycho psychiatrist add up to too much fiction without much substance.-Alison Follos, formerly at North Country School, Lake Placid, NY

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