Citra, Becky. If Only.

Citra, Becky.  If Only.  Orca  2013  232p  $12.95     ISBN 978-1-4598-0286-5    ms/hs     Realistic fiction  VG-BN    

Walking home one evening, 15-year-old Pam and her twin brother Danny decide to take the trail through the park.  The assault on Pam happens so quickly that no one has time to react.  Thankfully a neighbor’s dog stops the attacker from viciously hurting Pam.      The aftermath of the assault leaves Danny and Pam shaken and disturbed.  Although Pam has not been raped, she has been hurt by the attacker. Danny became immobile when the attacker took out a knife and threatened him with it.  The kids were fortunate that their neighbor Carol and her dog came to the rescue just in time.

For Pam, this violent act has left her so shaken that she is unable to go to school and becomes physically ill every time she steps foot outside her house. Her crying fits have her family very concerned, and for Danny the mental anguish is just as bad as Pam’s physical illness. Danny keeps asking himself why he did not stop the man from hurting his sister.  The trauma of this incident has both young people traumatized and has shaken them to the core.  Neither one can move forward from this point in time.  It isn’t until Danny breaks down and discloses his distress to his grandfather that true healing begins and Danny can begin to move forward.  For Pam the discovery of real friendship comes at the very time when she needs a friend to confide in and who will listen without condemning her.     

Summary:  Walking home one evening, 15-year-old Pam and her twin brother Danny decide to take the trail through the park and are brutally assaulted.  Dealing with the pain and trauma proves to be difficult for both of them, but the love and caring of their friends and family help them to recover.   

Twins-Fiction, Violence-Fiction                                   --Magna Diaz