KIWI AUTHOR Book Review: Broken Silence

Broken Silence is a brand new book by NZ author Helen Vivienne Fletcher.
I won this book at her online Book Launch on Facebook, I don't know how I ended up there but I am glad I did!

This is a YA novel about seventeen-year-old Kelsey who is having a rough time, her mum is very sick, and her dad doesn't want anything to do with her. She ends up staying with her older brother at his flat and on top of all these issues she has an abusive boyfriend. It makes for a big downward sprial in Kelseys life. She begins getting stalker-esque prank calls which have a dark undertone to them. Soon Kelsey is fearing for her life and those of her friends and family too. Who is it on the phone and what do they want?

I must admit, this book sat on my drawers for a good long time before I picked it up. Life got busy, but I wish I had read this as soon as it arrived. Although I do not personally relate to Kelsey on most of these issues, they are very present in society and having a front seat to the train wreck was confronting yet compelling. Helen has managed to craft a character that I really cared about by the end, despite her whingy 'tantrums' throughout the book.

I love that it was set in Wellington but apart from the odd reference here and there such as Manners Street, it could have been set anywhere. I had some great images in my head of the setting of this book.

There were some very good twists and turns as we try to identify the caller, I thought I had it a few times before being proven wrong again and again. The ending works well and everything felt resolved, although it got darker than I expected towards the end.

I would definitely recommend this book to those who like a good psychological thriller and don't mind themes of violence and abuse. As I said before, they are more common than we think and having an inside perspective shines a light on some of the mental health issues that many suffer.

Please support our hard working Kiwi writers and find a copy of this book (or I can lend you mine!), then leave a review on her Facebook page! This is not a sponsored post - I just really enjoyed this book and think that our local writers deserve a shout out now and then!