Whilst well written, and by a good author, I'm not glad I read this book. It's depressing, bleak and with no real sense of hope, even at the end. Avoid this if you're feeling in the least bit unhappy. ( )

Plot Summary: The author of this diary is a nameless teenage girl, who is a voluntary patient in a Psychiatric Ward. Before she admitted herself into hospital, she lived with a grimly dysfunctional and uncommunicative family of four, whose father was a co-owner of a company named Rider Group which received a multi-million dollar business contract. As part of the celebration, the girl's father bought her a pet dog, which she named Checkers, for his odd fur pattern. Soon, however, her father's company began being attacked by the press, who accused him and his business partner of gross corruption, allegedly involving the Premier of the State. The Premier continually denied having ever met the girl's father, but these accusations and negative media attention escalated over a period of months; the pressure induced drove the family further apart and strongly bonded the girl with her pet dog. After continued familial isolation, the girl engaged in a conversation after school one day with a friendly reporter about her dog, Checkers, which she felt was an innocent enough topic. The next day, newspapers were leading with a story that almost conclusively proved the Premier had in fact known and met the girl's father before the contract was given to Rider Group. The Premier owned a dog that was nearly identical to Checkers, and it was revealed that the two dogs were members of a litter of two puppies which had resulted from an accidental breeding of one of the Premier's dogs. One puppy was kept by the Premier's wife and the other given to the girl's father. That day, her father killed Checkers with a carving knife out of rage and the girl became mentally unbalanced. She soon admitted herself into the Psychiatric Ward of a hospital. ( )

This book holds the distinction of being the only one I have ever thrown across the room upon finishing it.

Usually I love Marsden. ( )

A great book, but slightly disturbing and devastating, so I'm giving it 3 stars because of the ending. This might sound weird, but if you've read the book, you'll get why. ( )