An interesting debut
novel, indicative of a semi-autobiographical story - Melanie Thorne's Hand Me Down is the author's descent into fiction. This
unforgettable novel depicts the intimacy of a narrative memoir of a 14-year old
girl struggling to deal with the chaos of an emotionally destructive life.
Elizabeth and her
younger sister, Jamie realize early on that they don't have anyone to depend on
as they try to cope with the knowledge their parents are not only incapable of
caring for them, but have little or no desire to do so. After their mother, Linda chooses a man over
them, she displays an incredible degree of indifference toward her daughters
and their well being. What is even more disturbing, Linda didn't toss her
daughters aside for just any man, no, she sagged a real prize when she married,
Terrance a convicted sex offender. Terrance is the kind of man who takes
pleasure in tormenting Liz each time he brushes against her, breathes on her,
licks his lips as he speaks inappropriately to her and prances around
half-dressed, knowing Liz will remain silent because he's already threaten to
approach young Jamie with the same attention, if Liz doesn't keep quite. After the girl's alcoholic father who faithfully
beat Linda during their marriage, notifies the parole office that Terrance is
in violation of his parole by living in the house with the girls; Liz thinks
she, Jamie and their mother can get back to life before Terrance and perhaps
enjoy their childhood in a normal environment. Instead, loving mom, chooses the
sex offender over her own offspring. While Jamie is sent to live in a trailer
park with her dad, Liz is shipped off to Terrance’s brother, Gary, and his
wife. Liz can't concentrate on her studies, friends or anything a teenager
should be focused on, because she is overly concerned and rightfully so, about
her and Jamie's fate, considering no one else seems to be. Though she is mature
beyond her years and is forced to accept what the adults tell her -
"you'll be okay." "it's not that bad." "you're
strong." - with the exception of her mother's sister, Tammy who lives in
Utah, everyone else has conveniently forgotten Liz is a child who needs to be
cared for.
As Elizabeth struggles
and pleads to be reunited with her sister and even her mother, she is bounced
around like hand me down luggage. From her mother, to her perverted
step-father's brother Gary, to a neighbor, and then another relative, it is
clear that the adults within Liz's circle
are incapable of managing their own lives - and are not an exemplar role
model for parenting; but of all the adults, Elizabeth and Jamie's mother is by
far one of the most despicable characters, who continues to lie and pull
further away from her children.
Author Throne pulls
deeply from her real life experience which can be visualized through her
emotional prose as she tells this tale of the devastating consequences that
occur following a mother's decision to abandon her daughters for a sex offender
- at some point it's as if you're reading
Throne's diary when she was a teenager, a diary of a child that
continually ask and doesn't understand,
"why doesn't my mother love me? And "why won't anybody save
me?"
Hand me down Liz is
finally shipped off to Salt Lake City to stay with her mother's sister, Tammy
an aunt who loves and cares for her the way a child should be cared for - but
it doesn't end there. Question is, when and where does it end, and will Liz and
her sister ever have a place to call
home sweet home, some place that's considered their haven? You'll want to pick up a copy of Hand Me Down to learn what
becomes of these girls who've been tossed aside by those that should love and
protect them.
Review copy provided by publisher.
_______________________________________________________________
Hand Me Down by Melanie
Thorne
Genre:
Dramatic Fiction
Publisher:
Dutton
Publication
Date: April 12, 2012
Reviewed by Chrystal
Dorsey, Goodreads.com
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