All the Truth That's in Me by Julie Berry

Standalone. Viking Books (Sep. 2013) Own

Four years ago, Judith and her best friend disappeared from their small town of Roswell Station. Two years ago, only Judith returned, permanently mutilated, reviled and ignored by those who were once her friends and family.

Unable to speak, Judith lives like a ghost in her own home, silently pouring out her thoughts to the boy who’s owned her heart as long as she can remember—even if he doesn’t know it—her childhood friend, Lucas.
 
But when Roswell Station is attacked, long-buried secrets come to light, and Judith is forced to choose: continue to live in silence, or recover her voice, even if it means changing her world, and the lives around her, forever.
 
This startlingly original novel will shock and disturb you; it will fill you with Judith’s passion and longing; and its mysteries will keep you feverishly turning the pages until the very last.

 

I really wanted to read All the Truth That's in Me when I saw it's cover. You get to feel and see what looks like a shredded page in front of Judith's mouth. I actually had no idea what this book was going to be about. I wanted it so I bought it on a whim. What I found was that the protagonist dealt with a lot more than I could ever expect. She was kidnapped and returned to her home two years later with her tongue mutilated. I also found out that this is a historical fiction book which really confused me at first. I expected a more modern book so that threw me off until I could get into to the story.

Judith returns home and is basically ostracized by everyone. Her own mother and brother are harsh towards her when she's the victim of a crime. I know All the Truth That's in Me is set in the past, but it still disturbed me that everyone in her hometown shunned her. And the boy she loved? He moved on. And then I learned where she was before she returned home. There's a mystery involved with where she was and what happened to her best friend. It's another part of the story once revealed that I didn't expect. So many unexpected moments. You think you know the whole story, but you don't. 

Judith takes a leap of faith to save Lucas, her neighbor she loved and sets events into place that will change how she, her family, and her town see her. It was really wonderful seeing Judith take a chance on herself. She takes risks to make her life better even when her mother doesn't allow those changes. She gains back friendships and forms a new one. Reading about her and Lucas always gave me hope for her. She's suffered so much and she deserved happiness unfortunately for Judith, it's very complicated. 

All the Truth That's in Me was a really great read. I loved Judith. I didn't really love when the story was set because it took me some kind to get used to as well as her family's and the townspeople's reaction to her left me unhappy. The reveal and Judith's growth and acceptance of herself were incredible parts of the story. I didn't consider All the Truth That's in Me to be amazing, but it had it's amazing moments. Also, a lot of people love this book, just look at Goodreads. If you like mysteries, unexpected outcomes, and great growth in your protagonist you'll enjoy All the Truth That's in Me.

All the images are from Julie Berry's tumblr.