Though the Bud be bruised
By Jo Wanmer
Reviewed by Martha Artyomenko
From back of book:

Can one little note, read at midnight, really trigger a chain of events that could shake the very foundation of Zara Heymer’s life? Can she even grasp the horror of what has happened within her family? The shock of discovering that evil, cleverly disguised, has penetrated her home and her church has left Zara reeling. Feeling a total failure, she looks for a way to resign as a mother; a way to stop this nightmare. But her daughter, Issy, desperately needs a good mother as she attempts to face life. Can Zara put aside her grief, her own need for acceptance, her narrow thinking, and deeply ingrained religiosity in time to help Issy? Will Issy even survive? How could God allow this to happen? Is God even there? Is her faith relevant or is it just a false crutch she has lent upon all these years? Is there any possible way that God can use this nightmare for good?
My review:
This book begins as a tale all too familiar in many circles, christian or non-Christian. The story of a family whose friendship with another turns tainted when the facts of their secret sins are revealed. This family find outs not only has their daughter been abused, but the church seeks to cover it up, makes excuses for the abuser, and is not there to support the family.
The book has some excellent points and shows how painful the journey can be for a child that has suffered at the hands of another, the pain parents feel trying to not only help their child, but deal with the scorn and judgement of others. The “forgiveness” speech that is often given to Christians that have been abused was addressed in this book in a very decent way.
Over all, I found this book a bit of a challenge in the way it was written, but the story was real to life in every painful little detail. The frustrations with the medical system, the system of punishment, the church, was all so harshly real, front and center. Almost a little too real, in a way. I would recommend this book to you, if you have struggled with dealing with judgement from others, namely, a church group, in the case of abuse or having a child that suffered abuse and had to go through the mental health system for help. It could give you some relief to walk through it with Zara! -Martha
This book was provided for me for review by BookCrash. The opinions contained are my own and I was not paid for my views.

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