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Torn

Amber Lehman
Closet Case Press (2009)
ISBN 9780979593369
Reviewed by Kam Aures for RebeccasReads.com (09/09)

“TORN”  by Amber Lehman begins as 14-year-old Krista moves to California and finds that life her at the public school is much different than the Catholic School that she went to back in Ohio.  She quickly becomes friends with Carrie and Brandon and as they become closer the experimentation begins.  In a simple juvenile game of Truth or Dare, a dare to kiss another girl causes her to question herself and her friends.

The “Note from the Author” at the start of the novel tells us that the author herself had a difficult childhood and this heightened her sensitivity to stories that were shared with her throughout her life.  Instead of writing a book of “case studies” she chose to fictionalize the people involved.  “By placing the characters in positions to interact with each other, it makes us care for them and for their hardships as multidimensional persons, and not just case numbers or studies.”

In the book there are a lot of different relationships among the characters and each one is interesting in itself.  Lehman does a wonderful job presenting each individual’s story and conveying his or her thoughts and emotions.    “TORN” is a story about young teenagers however the target audience for the book is for people over the age of eighteen which is very fitting due to the sexual nature and descriptive sexual scenes depicted throughout the novel.  Unfortunately the experiences with alcohol, drugs (like cocaine and marijuana), and sexual experimentation presented in the book are a reality in many teenagers’ lives and this book could definitely serve as an eye-opener to some parents.  However, in itself, “TORN” is a very readable and engaging novel even if you want to read it and enjoy it purely as a work of fiction.  


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