A PRISONER WITHIN by J.M. Northup
BLURB:
Tiffany is a seventeen-year-old girl caught in a battle for existence. As she tries to claim rights to her own life and mind, her abusive mother struggles to maintain control.
Pouring her hatred for the world onto her daughter, Tiffany suffers under her mother’s guise of concern as her mother convinces everyone that Tiffany’s wounds are self-inflicted. Fighting to prove she’s not mentally unstable and seeking escape from her mother’s tyranny, Tiffany must make the ultimate choice as to who lives and who dies. But how far is she willing to go to defend herself, and is redemption worth the price of her soul?
A Prisoner Within is a powerful, convincing story of manipulation, abuse, and fear.
MY REVIEW:
What a dark, twisted tale. And I loved it. From the first opening pages, you’re thrown into the violent, abusive relationship between Tiffany and her mother. The first half of the book bounces between past and present, as J.M. Northup shows how the Mother has trained Tiffany to be the perfect slave to her aggressive needs for control and domination. With her smart intellect and knowledge of the human mind, he Mother spins tales and lies to turn everyone against Tiffany, even the people in authority that are the only ones that can save Tiffany from her abusive lifestyle.
As the story progressed, my hatred for the Mother and step-dad grew. But at the same time, as Tiffany started doubting herself, thinking maybe she was really the problem, I started wondering if Tiffany was suffering from Schizophrenia. What a roller-coaster ride of emotions. And then everything culminates with Tiffany’s 18th birthday, her day of freedom from her tyrannical mother.
Growing up in this type of lifestyle will bring out the dark nature in anyone. How do you be true to yourself, when everyone around you sees you as evil? All the self-doubts instilled in you as a child are very difficult to overcome as an adult. How do you stop yourself from repeating the abusive nature of your parents? One of the reasons child abuse is so rampant.
There are gaps in the storyline that I found slightly confusing as I tried to follow the linear path of the story. But, overall, a well-done job.
I highly recommend this book for a peek into the dark nature of abusive relationships. I give it 5 feathers.
A must read for all ages. Buy your copy now:
