Book Review: Melt

Domestic Abuse is a HUGE problem in our culture today, as it has been in decades past--it's only now coming to light and addressed.  This book does an incredible job of weaving poetry, domestic abuse, and a struggling mind together to create a love story that overcomes hatred and violence.

I also got to meet Selene Castrovilla at a conference in Austin, TX.  She is such a down-to-earth woman who has, herself been through a ton.  She loved eating at taco trucks, and shopping at thrift stores, and chatting about the color purple.  I think you will really dig this book and the message of hope and redemption it sends.

Melt

Selene Castrovilla

Joey has grown up with the abuse.  Every night, his dad, a local cop, greets his wife, not with a kiss, but with the steel of his gun in her mouth.  Joey's dad beats his mom day after day, and if she or the boys cry, the boys get the abuse as well.  Joey's life is torn upside down.  He no longer believes in love---it is just a cover for hate.  He drinks, smokes, sleeps around, and gets in trouble with the law.  You might say he is hopeless. Doomed to repeat history.

When Dorothy moves to town, Joey can't help himself.  He falls head over heels.  The two are inseparable.  Dorothy works to show Joey just how important he is to her.  But can Joey let go and move on? Can he melt his hatred? When Dorothy gets caught in the crossfire, the two must decide their own fate.

Melt is a haunting tale of real life events.  The abuse is based off of someone the author knew, personally.  The fact that this type of thing happens in real life disgusts and scares me.  This powerful tale is an incredible emotional roller coaster.  Set from 2 points of view--Joey's is a broken, jagged, scrawling of words on the page, while Dorothy is able to organize her thoughts into narrative.  The two could not be more different, however, they are each what the other needs and craves.

There are a few confrontations that left me breathless.  My skin crawled at the atrocities that occur behind closed doors, and how easy it is to hide those situations.  When Joey describes his first visit with Dorothy to his house, he can't believe that Dorothy can't tell what happens among their family.  He feels the hatred and violence ooze down the walls.  The air is permeated with destruction.  But it just goes to show that no matter how serene a situation might seem, the skeletons in their closet might be incredibly numerous. 

This story is a must-read for all kinds of reasons.  Pick it up at the library (YA CAS), get some tissues and a blanket...maybe some tea for your nerves and get ready....to melt.