Black Heart Blue [Kindle Edition]

I knew very little about this book when I started it, mainly attracted by the story of twin sisters ripped apart. I certainly wasn't prepared for the dark, emotional and heartrendingly sad story inside.

Written in alternating chapters of before and after from each sister, Louise Reid blends a tense tale of abuse and religious extremism with courage and hope. I felt we really got to know both sisters, who were scarily believable and uncliched (as characters in books covering similar stories can often be)

I was gripped to this book right from the beginning and read it in just two sittings. It all consuming and I couldn't stop thinking about it for a long time after. With some very dark themes and scenes of violence, it's not the very fainthearted, but despite it's themes there's an over arching feeling of hope throughout. Highly recommended by me.

This is a book full of conflicting emotions. Or rather it raised conflicting emotions in me. At one moment I was sad enough to bring tears to my eyes, the next I was so angry that I started to shake. This is a very powerful book, and brings to the front things that are usually just glossed over in my day to day existence. Other people's misfortune, bad luck or ill treatment is something that I would listen to or read about, but unless that person was in my immediate circle of acquaintances then I would probably just ignore them. This book brings the characters and their struggles right home and puts it in your face. Well written and fast enough paced to make it easy to read, this was a thought provoking and intelligent book that I will probably read again.

BLACK HEART BLUE is a dark book, absolutely bursting with menace. It tells the story of twin teenage girls, Rebecca and Heph (this is a shortened version of her name, as I cannot remember how to spell it). Heph is the beautiful one, Rebecca is disfigured due to suffering from Treacher Collins syndrome. Living in a small village with their mother and father, who is a vicar, their world is one of terror and pain. At the very beginning of the story, we are told that one of the girls is dead. The book is narrated by both girls - Rebecca's chapters deal with events following her sister's death, whilst Heph's chapters deal with events leading upto her death. So, through both of their eyes, we as the reader are able to see what it was like growing up at the Vicarage with their very disturbed parents.

That is all of the story that I will give away. Suffice to say that this book is incredibly dark. As we learn more and more about what they have lived through, there are certainly times when it is hard to read on. Although there were times when I found myself thinking, "surely someone would have noticed", I had to remind myself that unfortunately things like this do happen in people's homes, behind closed doors. I think that is what makes it so heartbreaking.

I would recommend this book to others. Despite it being dark, there is also light there too. The love that the girls share is uplifting, and their determination to stand up against the treatment that they face is also heartening. A good, fairly quick read which should also touch your heart.