By Sarah Hayes
June, the main protagonist
of “Junebug”, has not had an easy life. Her childhood has been filled with
numerous moments of abuse, psychological and sexual, from the very people June
expected to protect and love her. Her view of men has been changed to people
who only want to harm and use her. In the close-knit rural town where June
grows up, there’s no hope for anyone to rise above their station and everyone
in town is all too glad to look the other way as person after person hurt young
June.
The book “Junebug”, however,
is not just a tale of unending misery for a little girl caught between her
abusive father and her equally abusive male relatives. Through the introduction
of elements such as the other world that June escapes to during her abuse and
her spiritual guardian Tigua the panther, June’s story turns into one of
unyielding hope in the face of misery. Through her spiritual journey, June
becomes a stronger person, constantly refusing to become a victim of her
circumstances.
The narrative of “Junebug”
often moves back between June’s childhood and her present adulthood, in which a
grown June is starting to put the pieces of her traumatized memory back
together with the assistance of her husband. Sometimes, the shifts in time are
very obvious; other times, they aren’t so easily marked and it takes a second
to realize the story has shifted from past to present and back again. Despite
the initial clunkiness of its usage, it becomes a useful device in showing how
the scared younger June evolves into the older, more confident June.
Although the book would
benefit from a copyeditor, the writing style of “Junebug” is immense in its
emotional strength, drawing the reader deeper and deeper into the life of June
and her family. The most startling fact about “Junebug”, however, is not in the
pages of the book itself, but lies on the back cover’s blurb: it’s all a true
story, based on the real life experiences of the author herself. It’s one of
those books where you keep flipping to the back cover to remind yourself that
the main character actually lives to see tomorrow and write the very book you
are holding in your hands.
“Junebug” contains multiple scenes explicitly describing sexual and physical abuse of young children. Reader discretion is advised.
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