His Loneliness Will Soon Turn to Fear…. When Chris Buckley moves to Solitary, North Carolina, he faces the reality of his parents’ divorce, a school full of nameless faces—and Jocelyn Evans. Jocelyn is beautiful and mysterious enough to leave Chris speechless. But the more Jocelyn resists him, the more the two are drawn together. Chris soon learns that Jocelyn has secrets as deep as the town itself. Secrets more terrifying than the bullies he faces in the locker room or his mother’s unexplained nightmares. He slowly begins to understand the horrific answers. The question is whether he can save Jocelyn in time. This first book in the Solitary Tales series will take you from the cold halls of high school to the dark rooms of an abandoned cabin—and remind you what it means to believe in what you cannot see.
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Sexual Content - 3/5
3/5
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Violence - 4/5
4/5
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Language - 0/5
0/5
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Drugs and Alcohol - 3/5
3/5
Summary
From: Isaac Scego
Book Title: Solitary
Book Author: Travis Thrasher
What do you like about this book:
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Summery::
What is the first thing that comes to mind when you see the title Solitary? It sounds lonely? Merciless? Depressing? Devastating> Any of these are less than adequate in describing Travis Thrasher's first installment in the Solitary Tales series. It is a story of the raw truth of evil without God, how it can swallow us whole and make us doubt. It shows how we, as humans, long to be free from such evil, yet how we long to find freedom by our own power, and what happens as a consequence of that and how us putting our faith in anything else will lead to our destruction and pain. It is a hard thing to hear, yes. But it is something worth hearing. But may I advice you read the rest of my review before you pick this novel out for your teen. Powerfully told and extremely symbolic, Solitary does not, however, present its themes without wrinkles (and, truthfully, I don't see how it can). Yes, on the back cover you will find "Y.A. Fiction", but this book is not for young adults. Its heavy, dark content--including sexual assault--is truly the stuff of nightmares that even most discerning adults would shy away from. And though his honesty and dealings with such situations are admirable, the majority of Thrasher's targeted audience would be too young to enjoy it--whether for its pacing, or for its content.
Spiritual Content::
A pastor shares twisted scripture and there are talks of supernatural sites and ghosts. A group of people are said to be performing some satanic ritual.
Sexual Content::
The love story begins as an obvious physical attraction. And it only develops from there. In a car, they kiss and she tries to undo his belt before he stops her. Sixteen-year-old Jocelyn Evans is an object of desire all over the school and will be whistled at and leered at by all the guys there. She's said to have had several past relationships, all of them hinting at sexual activity. It's said that her aunt lives with a man out of wedlock, who sexually abuses Jocelyn (the author says her shirt is open and he is shirtless and struggling with her--the brief scene is interrupted and non-graphic). People kiss several times and share romantic moments.
Violent Content::
I did not give this book a 4 in violence for its blood (there is little) rather than for its disturbing heaviness. A girl is struck and is said to be physically abused by her step-uncle several times, including sexually abused by him--she is found bloody upon interruption. Someone is bitten bloodily by a beast who vanishes in a black slimy substance. Multiple fights at school. A boy is said to have disappeared and have been killed. People are shot and cut. A girl is found with her throat and wrist slit.
Language::
Uses of "freaking", "sucks", and one of whore. God's name is misused once.
Drug/Alcohol Content::
Teens are shown drinking and smoking, followed by several other references in that category. A woman is drunk several times and people are drugged. Some frequent drug references.
TCR:: 2/5
| PG-13 | For disturbing thematic material, violent content including abuse, some drug references and brief suggestive content, all involving teens
Your ratings of the level of sex, violence, language and drug/alcohol use on a scale of 1-5.
Sex:3
Violence:4
Language:0
Drug/Alcohol use:3