Book: Black Heart Blue

Book title: Black Heart Blue

Author: Louisa Reid

Blurb:
They tried to make me go to my sister’s funeral today. In the end I had to give in… I’d been walking in her shadow for sixteen years and I liked its cool darkness. It was a good place to hide.
Rebecca’s twin sister Hephzibah was beautiful and daring. She was the one who always wanted more. The one who wouldn’t listen. Now she’s gone, Rebecca is alone.
While there were two of them, they stayed silent about their home life. But Rebecca, who knows the truth about how her twin died, suddenly finds herself keeping too many secrets. Hephzibah dreamt of escape, but failed. Could Rebecca be the one to find freedom?

Original and unforgettable, Black Heart Blue is not just Rebecca and Hephzibah’s story. It’s a story about all of us: a story about the lies we want to believe, the truth we sometimes can’t accept, and having the courage to discover the difference.

My Opinion:
I started reading this book because a classmate accidentally left it on my desk and found myself unable to put it down! The story is something that I wouldn’t have picked up on my own, but I’m glad that the classmate bought this.
The story shows how a deformed girl copes after the death of her ‘perfect’ twin while dealing with abuse, extremist parents and being sheltered from the way the world works. This beautiful story oscillates between the past and the present. The past is the story leading up the death of Hephzibah and switches point of views in between the sisters. While the present is completely in Rebecca’s point of view and shows how she copes and tries to escape after Hephzi’s death. I found myself hating, crying, laughing and getting upset along with the twins’ ups and downs.
The story is beautifully worded and delicately crafted. Louisa Reid has made her debut with this beautiful book and has shown the dark side of the world. The story will force you to think of your actions and words along with the effect they can have on others when you can manage to put the book down. It’s a wonderfully eye-opening book that will take you through the dark side of abuse while ensuring that light is there to guide your way back.

Ideal For:
This book is ideal for everyone above the age of 14/15. There is a certain level of maturity required to read this, but this book is not genre-bound. It is a book I’d suggest reading whether or not you like this genre or are a boy or girl. The classmate of mine that read this was a guy and even he found the story touching and an eye-opener. It is rare to find a book written by women about women/girls that can be read and enjoyed by both genders and this is one such book. I would suggest reading it you can, even if slight angst isn’t your forte.

This is a book that needs to be read in one go, but perhaps not a rainy day. I would suggest keeping this novel for a warm sunny day when you have free time so that the outside atmosphere is not the same as that of the books. When reading this, a little bit of sunshine and laughter will be needed the book to make sure the dark atmosphere of the book doesn’t get you down.

Rating: 4

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–As always, comment below to tell me what you think and whether or not you’ll read it…or have read it–