Inked

by Renda Dodge

Tori Liddell has struggled through her twenties. Suffering from undiagnosed Borderline Personality Disorder, she documents her radical lifestyle changes and shifting identity through colorful tattoos. After years spent disconnecting from family and widening the rift created by absence, Tori returns to small-town Oregon to help facilitate the care of her mother, recently diagnosed with AIDS. At her homecoming, she faces an irritable, sick woman she barely recognizes and is forced to sift through her own emotional baggage brought to the surface by the advances of an enigmatic new neighbor. Tori searches for the meaning of home in the rubble of her past, but comes to realize that things and people are not always the way she remembered.
Inked is a window into the life of a woman trying to overcome herself, her choices and a psychological affliction etched under her skin.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Drama

220 pages, Paperback

First published October 20, 2009

About the author

Renda Belle Dodge grew up in the Pacific Northwest as part of a typical, fractured family, and she currently resides in Seattle, Washington. Writing has always been a part of her life, and she began telling and illustrating stories when she was a child. Renda’s writing style is bold and strives to capture the ongoing struggle for identity in contemporary America.

Renda is author of Inked and The Indie Writer’s Workshop (July 2011). She is the Managing Editor of Line Zero, a quarterly indie arts and writing journal, and Pink Fish Press. Renda regularly runs workshops on fiction plotting, drafting and independent publishing. For the past seven years she has been involved in National Novel Writing Month, and for the past four has been a Municipal Liaison in the Seattle area, working with and encouraging writers of all ages and skill sets.

Reviews

[Kris · Rating 1 out of 5]

As far as the story, it was pretty good for about the first 3/4. Then suddenly some rather "big deal"-type things were thrown out into things. And then it just...ended. Those rather large issues that had just been brought up were left just kinda out there and nothing came of them. I was left feeling like the author had not finished writing the book. I was rather dumbfounded when I tapped my Nook's screen to go to the next page and found the acknowledgements.
Another glaring problem was the incredible frequency of the missing or extra words. I wanted to be reading it with a pencil, pen, crayon, SOMETHING to fix all those errors. I know that some stuff slips through even multiple edits but this just felt like no one bothered to edit the manuscript at all.
I find myself annoyed that I spent money on this book. The premise really caught me (hence why I bothered to finish the book) and while there were several errors in the sample I wasn't noticing it as much...and then I bought it and continued reading... I feel embarrassed for the author; I know I would be to put my name on something that appears so unprofessional. And then the ending...

[Angie · Rating 1 out of 5]

About twenty pages in, it became clear to me that I would not be able to read this book without a pencil in hand. The editing was atrocious. Besides making "into" two separate words throughout the entire novel, there were some pretty serious problems with missing words, a lack of useful commas, inconsistent tenses ("Madeline reached in to [sic:] the pocket in her cardigan sweater, pulled out a little orange pill bottle handing [sic:] it to me"), basic grammar mistakes that a grammar check should have picked up, redundancy ("Stacked under the table were boxes filling in the space beneath the table"), and incomplete sentences/fragmented sentences that can easily be fixed by combining the fragments to the previous sentences ("When we reached the top of the stairs, [he:] pushed open the unlocked door. Still pulling me by the hand as I stepped over the threshold". "Led" is often spelled as "lead", "chose" as "choose", and these types of mistakes lead me to believe that a good chunk of the book simply wasn't re-read and/or edited properly--not to forget that there is a chapter "Twleve."

The ending of the book feels rushed, although most of the book tends to drag with unnecessary detail. Cutting much of the unnecessary detail would strengthen the book incredibly: would you rather read, "The ghostly echoes of my mother's cries reverberated off the corners of the staircase into the room where I tried to find peace" or "In the sleepless night I could hear my mother moan and cry out in to [sic:] the dark of the house with indiscernible words. The ghostly echoes reverberated off the corners of the staircase in to [sic:] the room where I tried to find peace"? It takes several pages for the protagonist to open a door in another scene, when a few well-written paragraphs would have sufficed.

The beginnings of a great character is there in the character of Tori, but it's hidden under the muck. My favorite parts where when we were let inside Tori's head, when she just came out and told us how she felt: conflicted, torn between emotions, and flying back and forth between intense anger and intense love. That is what I related to and wanted to read more of. The back cover states that Tori struggles with undiagnosed borderline personality disorder, and this is an interesting twist, particularly in the midst of a plot traumatic enough to make a "normal" break down. However, it wasn't enough to know that her turbulent emotions and anger problems stem from an undiagnosed disorder--I wanted to have more insight into that aspect of her, because it is what I related to the most. "Borderline personality disorder" isn't even mentioned or directly alluded to in the book. We know from the back cover she's undiagnosed (so supposedly she later sees a psychologist and learns about her disorder), but never once does she question, and I mean really question, whether or not there's something wrong with her. There are so few books out there that deal with borderline personality disorder that I was really hoping this one would stand out. Unfortunately, with a rushed ending and complete absence of editing, this one doesn't.

[Terry Persun · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always enjoyed well-written novels with complex and deep characters, and Renda has provided that with "Inked". Not only did I find the main character interesting, but her vulnerability came through clearly as well. A tortured and confused young woman, Tori is forced to struggle with her past while dealing with a dying parent. To complicate matters, Tori's internal struggles with love and anger are exacerbated by revelations acquired about her mother, boyfriends, and neighbors along the way. Many times throughout the novel, I wanted to help Tori myself, understanding what she must have been going through. Character depth had me wanting to follow her, listen to her, and see how she would resolve her feelings and situations at hand. This is what writing and books are supposed to do, get you personally involved in the outcome. I recommend this book to anyone wanting something different, something interesting and thought provoking.

[Yelania Nightwalker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cuando leí la sinopsis de Inked, me intrigó tanto que supe que tenía que leerla. Y me gustó en su mayor parte.

Tori tiene muchos problemas, vive una vida desenfrenada y odia a todo el mundo: a su mamá, a su jefe que es además su amante, y en general odia a la vida misma. Cuando finalmente tiene que regresar a su pueblo para cuidar de su mamá, las cosas toman un giro inesperado.

Si hay algo completamente rescatable de Inked es la facilidad con la que se sienten las emociones de Tori, el caos emocional, los miedos y frustraciones y llega un momento en que no sabes qué sucederá. Sobre todo por la aparición de ese vecino de toda la vida que parece tener interés en ella.

Uno piensa en ese momento que el que ellos dos se queden juntos pueda ser bueno, para Tori sobre todo, dada esa historia que no les contaré para no spoilearles. El asunto es que, el final es demasiado apresurado y totalmente inconcluso.

El enigma de su enfermedad y de ese pasado traumático. El responsable de todo lo que le sucedió, la muerte de su madre... todo queda sin resolverse. Pareciera que la autora quiso hacer un desenlace al estilo "no importa el pasado, viviré mi vida de ahora en adelante". Y ok, no es malo pensar así, salvo que como lector, te queda la impresión de que le hacen falta páginas al libro, porque Inked no se merecía un final hueco. Pero como siempre en gustos...

[Katie J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inked is not a typical book in any sense of the word. The main character is captivating and I hesitate to use that word, but she really is. The story itself is potent and that makes it a page turner. If you have ever known someone with Border Line Personality Disorder then you will connect with Tori and see the all too obvious signs that she lives with this chronic and often life changing condition. It is interesting to see how Tori chose to cope with her pain. This book is a little bit like Girl Interrupted and if you have any BPD family members you will want to read this book. It's a quick read and hits home with it's undiluted subject matter.

[Bree Kramer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was a great book that I'll read repeatedly. The characters were easy to identify with and the plot kept be hooked from beginning to the end!

[Beata Zwarycz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inked is a fearless and brutally honest story of a young woman and her messed up relationships. However, the book is a little too heavy for comfort (I'm talking about content here, not the actual weight of the book).

Our protagonist, Tori, is an emotional mess. With just about everyone she meets there is this potential for a confrontation. (Kind of like Uma Thurman's character in Kill Bill, but without all that killing.) She hates her mother, she hates all her lovers (past and present), she hates her mother's social worker, she hates the tattoo artist, she hates the grocery clerk.... I'm actually surprised she doesn't hate the next door neighbor's dog! Up until the very last page, Tori is on the emotional edge, ready to blow up at the slightest provocation. And then.... In the afterword, we find out that she lives happily ever after.

I had a hard time believing that she overcame all her mental instability with one (traumatic) experience. If anything, I would expect her to completely fall apart at that point, not get it together and go off into the sunset with the guy who... Okay, easy on the spoilers. Still, I just don't see how she ended up with this guy and why. I don't trust this guy! No, Tori, don't do it...

Will there be a sequel? Maybe there should be...

[Crystal Joxertd · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the book, I just had a hard time getting into it. I wasn't fond of the main character, Tori, whose perspective the story is told from. Reading from her point of view sort of clues you in how she thinks and feels and it seems like most of the time she is melancholic and has low self esteem. I am not saying I hate her for that, but it's hard to like her because of the way she thinks and how she treats people. I wanted to hit her when she went to Blake's house and he offered her to stay the night and she practically took his head off for the offer, saying it was inappropriate for him to be trying to "spend the night" together with her on the first night she is in town. He offered her a place to stay that is warm, clean and has power instead of her mother's place which is cold, has no power and is trashed out from hoarding. He was being hospitable, and she took it as an advance. He might have had a motive, hell he *is* a guy, but it wasn't displayed in his offer.

I don't know. That part bothered me though lol. Overall though I did like the book.

Renda, you did good!

[Blackvulture · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just recently finished reading "Inked" and was quite impressed when all was said and done. The actual story only spans a few short days but with the use of flashbacks and inner monologue, we get a lot of character development and a consistent plot that keeps you interested in the story. I personally don't read books very often, so when I do it's important that it's written in a what I find easy to read and understand and can keep me interested chapter by chapter and this book does just that. It was an enjoyable read and was able to finish it in just under 2 weeks with a couple chapters each night.
The main character Tori is not always even the most likable person, her self-destructive nature gets in the way of that sometimes. Her flaws and scars show but in the end just shows how human she really is. It made for a good story that I highly recommend.

[Erica · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won this book through good reads and was very excited to start it. I think the author did a good job setting up the "invalidating environment" that seems to foster borderline personality disorder, and also illustrated the ambivalence toward relationships that is so common with this disorder. However, I found the main character rather unlikeable (which I think was the authors intent). The character failed to grow, develop, or change over the course of the book, which is probably realistic but detracted from making it an enjoyable read. All that said, I'm not sure where I stand with this book. It could have used another pass by a good editor and I can't say I enjoyed reading it, but the discription of the disorder was pretty well done.

[Aksana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had a lot of gaps and I felt like some scenes were left unfinished. I don't know if this is because the main character had an undiagnosed Borderline Personality Disorder, but I had trouble 'getting' her actions and train of thought. I felt really sorry for Tori and her mother and felt that they could have said so many things to each other and learned to 'deal' with each other instead of just avoiding or screaming. It seemed like proof-reading was not done and it was distracting while reading the book.

[Very Moon · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've never been so upset about how a book ended. Generally, I don't want to rage about the choices a character makes, but I seriously wanted to slap someone when I read this. I found it, as a survivor of abuse, to be completely nonsensical. No truly healed person would pursue the things that the character did (without giving away spoilers).

If you want to read a book about surviving abuse, I'd recommend something else; this will leave you feeling violated all over again. Take a pass on this one.

[Allison · Rating 1 out of 5]

The premise had me tentatively interested at first, but the story did not seem well thought out (as evidenced in the conclusion, at which point it seemed the author just lost interest in finishing the story). Can't imagine I would have finished this, but it was an incredibly easy read while waiting at the airport.

[Olivia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure what to make of this book. Fiction/Non-Fiction? Memoir? So many dangling pieces of an unfinished story. Horrible editing. The story was interesting enough to finish...but wish it had ended somewhere cohesive.

[Laurna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't like

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was in total awe over this book.. there are still so many questions that are still not answered..

[Peter Heinrich · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heard about this through NaNoWriMo and enjoyed reading something that grew out of that program. Lots of potential here. I look forward to reading more of Dodge's work.

[Tom]

giving this book a go and not thoroughly impressed so far.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

thought provoking
kind of hard to follow sometimes

[Lindsay · Rating 2 out of 5]

OMG>>>What a crappy way to end a book....still wondering what happend.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting. Ending was unexpected and a little unbelievable. Just okay.

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Can I give this book a 1/2 star? Had potential but ended as if the author gave up (after writing 4 drafts, apparently). Don't waste your time.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book didn't do much for me. Just not much to say..

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok read. I thought the book lacked a completion to the story. There was the whole twist at the end that still felt loose and floating when it ended.

[Esther Bergling · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good quick read

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

very strange. I kept reading and waiting for everything to make s we use. it didn't happen.