In Search of Adam.

I got this book quite some time ago, and am quite ashamed to admit that I got a third of the way through and decided I couldn't read any further. It is a devastating read. Paedophilia, rape, bulimia and violence are paramount, and with the narrative being in the first person- and that person being a six year old girl- it is uncomfortable and distressing.



But, on deciding to give the novel another go, I realised that the author had really achieved something special. The desperate story of Jude is told so convincingly that initially I simply thought that I couldn't read about the demise of a girl so alarmingly disregarded by her environment. You feel she is doomed right from her conception, especially as the story unfolds.



That is why I am pleased I came back to it. I got to see how her story does play out, and understand that I gave up on Jude just like nearly everybody else in the book does. I am glad I gave her a second chance- her character will stay in my heart and thoughts for quite some time.



A cross between 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time' and 'Girl, Interrupted', this novel is wholeheartedly recommended.