The murder of Dr. and Mrs. Carter shocked the nation, with images of their daughter wearing blood soaked pyjamas splashed across the front page. The people from their village weren't shocked, they were outraged that a pillar of their community and his wife had been murdered, stabbed viciously with scissors, by one of their spoilt brats. No one knew the truth, well no one grown up - their friend and neighbour knew the truth about what it is was like to live in the Carter house. No one but Brinley Booth knew about the mental torment, the physical abuse, the cruel mind games and manipulations of the adult Carters. Shannon and Sara have to put up with mind games and near starvation, which makes them the target of other children in the village who have no idea of what is happening to the sisters. Being a doctor makes it easier for their father to hide the extent of his abuse - he can mend broken bones, put stitches in wounds, and know exactly how far he can push things. That all changes one fateful night. when he pushes one of his daughters too far.
Years later, in another quiet village Catherine Allen wakes in the night to discover that her world has been turned upside down overnight. Somehow the press has discovered that she was once one of the Carter sisters, given a new name and a fresh start at life - something she embraced. Married with a daughter of her own, her carefully rebuilt world starts to crumble as her husband and daughter discover who she really is. At the same time, Brinley Booth finds herself in an awkward position as a journalist who has an amazing story to tell - if only she can push herself to break trust with her friends and give an exclusive story to the newspaper she works for. As Catherine struggles to come to terms with her sisters sudden reappearance in the world, she also has to face what happened all those years ago and what it means for her, her sister, and Brinley.
When I was ten is one of those books that uses the technique of moving back and forth between times to tell the story - sometimes that doesn't work very well, but it works brilliantly for When I was ten. One of the reasons the time shifting works is because it presents what is happening now, shows what happened in the past, shows more about the present, then explains more about the past - but it does it in a smooth manner that feels like a moving conversation rather than just jumping around. This was one of those brilliant stories where I kept flip-flopping over where I thought the story was heading as Cummins did such an amazing job of dropping hints and tricks equally.
The characters are what drives the story, and while there is action and drama, it is the characters that carry the story. What happened to the Carter sisters was horribly awful, and the worst part is that you know there are children out there who are living with the same or worse. It felt like Cummins handled the subject matter with compassion and respect, rather than just using it as a gimmick. There are so many themes here that despite the somewhat icky subject matter, it would make a brilliant book club read as there are so many aspects of the story that could open up all kinds of discussions and further reading.
Highly recommended read, though people who have experienced child abuse and severe neglect may find the subject matter triggering.
If you like this book then try:
- Sticks and stones by Katherine Firkin
- The liar's daughter by Claire Allan
- I've got you under my skin by Mary Higgins Clark
- Safe by S.K. Barnett
- The nowhere child by Christian White
- Good me bad me by Ali Land
- Vodka doesn't freeze by Leah Giarratano
- Lost by James Patterson and James O. Born
- Orphan X by Greg Hurwitz
- Eeny meeny by M.J. Arlidge
- The vanishing season by Joanna Schaffhausen
- Gathering dark by Candice Fox
- Buried secrets by Lisa Cutts
- Crimson Lake by Candice Fox
Reviewed by Brilla
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