This book got rave reviews from Steven King, so I bought it. Turtle Alveston's father taught her everything there was to know about surviving in the wild. Now she must use those skills, and more, to survive him. ( )

Upsetting in a million ways: too much abuse, too many guns, too much sadness.

I read the whole book because I cared about Turtle and wanted to know her whole story but I hated reading this because the abuse was always lingering in the background.

I gave it three stars because I was invested in her and because so many scenes caused me to have a real visceral reaction but I can't say I'd suggest anybody run out to read this one. This is not a world I'm happy to have experienced. ( )

I keep hearing good things about this novel but unfortunately I could't finish it. The scenes depicting the abuse felt voyeuristic and gratuitous. Please note that this is an entirely subjective reaction. I wasn't and I'm not in a frame of mind to read such a disturbing novel. ( )

I appreciated the prose, especially the scenic descriptions, but otherwise? No. Just no. I cannot say I enjoyed reading this book.

I hope Tallent finds a different subject, something that is more personal to him. I think that would be a much better book. ( )

Okay, for those of you who hated it because it's so graphic-that's how Turtle feels too. Her inner dialog is her father's voice. Terms like "engorged pussy" sound like they come from a man, did come from a man-her father. She doesn't have her own inner voice (yet) because of the abuse. She is fourteen and still doesn't know that she is a separate human being from her father. Every bad thing she says about herself or women in general, came from her father and since he was all she knew for most of the story, that's her reality.

That's one example of why it's such a well-written work. It conveys all of those things without saying them straight out because the main character doesn't know them straight out. There are a million other things I loved about this book, though it was disturbing. It had all the classic literary touches: foreshadowing! Semiotics! Symbolism...you know that part when he crab is dying in the oven? That is Turtle's inner self, which is covered by a crusty shell of her dad's macho bullshit. And because a crusty shell only protects you so much, the crab dies. ( )