Published by: HarperTeen, Feburary 17th 2015
Genre: YA, Survival, Contemporary
Pages: 320
Format: Ebook
Source: HarperTeen, via Edelweiss
Ever since the night of the incident with Luke Willis, the preacher’s son, sophomore Hallelujah Calhoun has been silent. When the rumors swirled around school, she was silent. When her parents grounded her, she was silent. When her friends abandoned her … silent.
Now, six months later, on a youth group retreat in the Smoky Mountains, Hallie still can’t find a voice to answer the taunting. Shame and embarrassment haunt her, while Luke keeps coming up with new ways to humiliate her. Not even meeting Rachel, an outgoing newcomer who isn’t aware of her past, can pull Hallie out of her shell. Being on the defensive for so long has left her raw, and she doesn’t know who to trust.
On a group hike, the incessant bullying pushes Hallie to her limit. When Hallie, Rachel, and Hallie’s former friend Jonah get separated from the rest of the group, the situation quickly turns dire. Stranded in the wilderness, the three have no choice but to band together.
With past betrayals and harrowing obstacles in their way, Hallie fears they’ll never reach safety. Could speaking up about the night that changed everything close the distance between being lost and found? Or has she traveled too far to come back?
Were this book wholly contemporary, I don't think we would have gotten along so well. But the emphasis of the whole book is put on survival, and that really drives the story, makes it into something quite extraordinary when paired with the important issues it highlights.
The main character of this book, Hallelujah, is a victim of bullying and lies and reputation, and because of this she has retreated into herself, found comfort in silence even though it leaves her alone, vulnerable. This story is about a girl learning to trust again - to trust people, and herself, and her own judgement. It's about learning to accept what has happened, what you can control, and what you can't.
A major emphasis of this book is on how women silence themselves, and how a male voice will always be louder than a female, will always be heard. That this is in a YA novel is commendable.
A major emphasis of this book is on how women silence themselves, and how a male voice will always be louder than a female, will always be heard. That this is in a YA novel is commendable.
This book is about how women are taught to analyse even their smallest actions when things go wrong and to place blame on themselves. Because we must have done something wrong, been in the wrong place, given the wrong impression. Hallelujah even says in the book that she shouldn't have been in the wrong place, that it wouldn't have happened if she hadn't gone to a guy's room to say goodnight, despite it being an innocent decision - she places the blame of a guy choosing to humiliate her and bully her for months on one action she made - importantly ON HERSELF. Because that is what a society run by men teaches women to do.
And The Distance Between Lost and Found is not ashamed or afraid to call out that bullshit, to throw stark light on the reality of sexual reputation for women, on the damage that lies can do to young girls, on the damage that young girls can do to each other.
Characters ★★★★★
Setting/world building ★★★★★
Writing ★★★★☆
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This sounds like a really uneasy read, but I am very curious. I don't normally go for contemps, but the fact that it deals with bullying and has a survival elements has my attention.
ReplyDeleteThanks for bringing it to my attention Saruuh, I'm glad you liked it!