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Angels In The Rye: In the midst of rape, secrets, lies, hatred, and murder; will love conquer all
As a teenager, Karen’s life began to backslide after her innocence is taken away from her. Her abuser left her with a child, more than that, she is left with inner pain and fear, making some days intolerable. But, the claws of the world will not coddle her. When life leaves her no choice will she be able to succeed in recovering and regaining control of her being? Some say, things happen for a reason. Is it God’s will? Nothing or no one can save her if she is not willing to forgive the man who raped her. Can she figure out that forgiving is for her and not for him? One day true love will find her; it is said that love conquers all.Just when Karen thought her life couldn’t get any worse, comes her Angel In The Rye, will she allow her angel to save and guide her to a hopeful life?
292 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 21, 2018
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December 2, 2021
I'll deal with the good points first. And I should probably warn you that this may take a while.
Firstly, the portrayal of the main character, Karen, is quite simply superb. She is just fifteen years old when she is raped by a boy on whom she has a childhood crush - an ordeal that leaves her pregnant. My heart ached for her as she rushed home and jumped straight into the shower, trying desperately to wash all traces of her attacker away. As she felt unable to tell her loving, but also religious mother and grandmother what had happened to her. As she worked hard, gained a college degree and went into a lucrative career, because that felt like living a 'normal life'. And, most heartbreakingly of all, as she couldn't bring herself to love her baby daughter Angel, because she was the product of a man she hated so much.
This meant that when, after several years, Karen has what I can only describe as an epiphany, realises how much Angel means to her and spends the night sleeping on the floor by her bed because this is as close to her as she can get, I felt an overwhelming sense of relief as I let out the breath that I hadn't realised I'd been holding. It really is beautifully done.
This point also marks a big turning point in the plot, which ultimately is a love story that also has a religious element. The latter, again, is beautifully judged: the story portrays the importance of religion in Karen's and her family's lives without ever feeling 'preachy'. It's not easy to find that balance, but Marsha Martin-Yates seems to have nailed it.
There were just a few small drawbacks for me. I thought that some of the language used could benefit from a further edit. Examples include the first line of Chapter Two: "Having been raped was unsettling and gave Karen a high sense of anxiety". I suspect most readers could have guessed that. But if it did need to be explained, maybe it would have been better demonstrated by something that Karen said or did, rather than explained in this way. The book would also benefit from another thorough proof-read, as in my Kindle copy I noticed several typographical errors, towards the end in particular.
My main problem though was with the ending. The idea of forgiving a rapist is one that I understand, not least because I've read Madeleine Black's autobiography, 'Unbroken', which has a similar theme. (And if you haven't read that, then you must.) I also understand that a man who commits rape may not be evil, not really. Just misguided and unable to control his hormones.
But the conclusion to 'Angels In the Rye' almost seems to suggest that it's possible to get away with rape, and indeed murder if you're loved enough by the people close to you. Which I felt was stretching it so far as to be a bit distasteful.
To sum up, then, is easy. This book is a bit rough around the edges. But the problems are minor and will hopefully disappear as Marsha Martin-Yates gets more experience as an author. I hope that she has the opportunity to do this, because she really can write well.
My thanks to Reedsy Discovery for a free digital copy of this book, which I have reviewed voluntarily and honestly. I will post my review on Goodreads, Amazon and my personal blog.
Firstly, the portrayal of the main character, Karen, is quite simply superb. She is just fifteen years old when she is raped by a boy on whom she has a childhood crush - an ordeal that leaves her pregnant. My heart ached for her as she rushed home and jumped straight into the shower, trying desperately to wash all traces of her attacker away. As she felt unable to tell her loving, but also religious mother and grandmother what had happened to her. As she worked hard, gained a college degree and went into a lucrative career, because that felt like living a 'normal life'. And, most heartbreakingly of all, as she couldn't bring herself to love her baby daughter Angel, because she was the product of a man she hated so much.
This meant that when, after several years, Karen has what I can only describe as an epiphany, realises how much Angel means to her and spends the night sleeping on the floor by her bed because this is as close to her as she can get, I felt an overwhelming sense of relief as I let out the breath that I hadn't realised I'd been holding. It really is beautifully done.
This point also marks a big turning point in the plot, which ultimately is a love story that also has a religious element. The latter, again, is beautifully judged: the story portrays the importance of religion in Karen's and her family's lives without ever feeling 'preachy'. It's not easy to find that balance, but Marsha Martin-Yates seems to have nailed it.
There were just a few small drawbacks for me. I thought that some of the language used could benefit from a further edit. Examples include the first line of Chapter Two: "Having been raped was unsettling and gave Karen a high sense of anxiety". I suspect most readers could have guessed that. But if it did need to be explained, maybe it would have been better demonstrated by something that Karen said or did, rather than explained in this way. The book would also benefit from another thorough proof-read, as in my Kindle copy I noticed several typographical errors, towards the end in particular.
My main problem though was with the ending. The idea of forgiving a rapist is one that I understand, not least because I've read Madeleine Black's autobiography, 'Unbroken', which has a similar theme. (And if you haven't read that, then you must.) I also understand that a man who commits rape may not be evil, not really. Just misguided and unable to control his hormones.
But the conclusion to 'Angels In the Rye' almost seems to suggest that it's possible to get away with rape, and indeed murder if you're loved enough by the people close to you. Which I felt was stretching it so far as to be a bit distasteful.
To sum up, then, is easy. This book is a bit rough around the edges. But the problems are minor and will hopefully disappear as Marsha Martin-Yates gets more experience as an author. I hope that she has the opportunity to do this, because she really can write well.
My thanks to Reedsy Discovery for a free digital copy of this book, which I have reviewed voluntarily and honestly. I will post my review on Goodreads, Amazon and my personal blog.
Displaying 1 of 1 review