We start the story in the middle, so it's immediately clear to us how awful Daniel, Izzy's stepfather, actually is. Flashbacks show how he worked his way into their lives, how slimy he was. Iliked Izzy's actual father much more...and yes, I went and looked up DanandCharlie95 singing You are my Sunshine. Who wouldn't?
This book made me laugh in spots, it made me cry, it made me very angry. I seesawed back and forth between agreeing with the way Izzy was treating her mother and being mad at her for it. Basically I was just as confused and emotional as Izzy was, and I think that's the best way to feel about this book.
Amy has kindly provided me with a few words on one of her favourite songs, to celebrate the importance of music in this novel. Enjoy.
Coat of Many Colors ~ Dolly Parton
Oh, Dolly! How to pick just one from so much brilliance? Every song is a tale. If I was stranded, her songs would not only give me music but story too. And memories. This track is powerful for Dolly’s refusal to be shamed. She rallied us, my friend Laura and me, in France, that summer of ’93, when we were fourteen and fuelled-by-Dolly fierce. Fierce with boys, or at least our fantasies of them. Fierce in our diaries, about ourselves and sometimes each other. Fierce in our books, which were Hollywood and incestuous. And fierce in our friendship, which was as long and playful as our French summers when, yes, there were thunderstorms too. Dolly Parton’s childlike yet soulful voice soundtracked that summer and injected sweetness into even the most thunderous of summer loves.
No one has ever asked Izzy what she wants. She's about to change all that...
In a house adept at sweeping problems under the carpet, seventeen-year-old Izzy feels silenced. As her safety grows uncertain, Izzy know three things for sure. She knows not to tell her mother that Jacob Mansfield has been threatening to spread those kinds of photos around college. She knows to quiet the grief that she's been abandoned by her best friend Grace. And, seeing her mother conceal the truth of her stepdad's control, Izzy also knows not to mention how her heart splinters and her stomach churns whenever he enters a room.
When the flimsy fabric of their life starts to unravel, Izzy and her mum must find their way out of the silence and use the power in their voices to rediscover their worth.
For fans of Sara Barnard, Louise O’Neill and E. Lockhart, The Sky is Mine is a powerful exploration of rape culture and domestic abuse, and a moving story of women learning to love themselves enough to demand to be heard.
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