What's left: the Leftovers

Leftovers by Laura Wiess

Why this book is great: The story makes you think twice, some parts are so disgusting/horrible that you are impelled to read on

This story is about two girls that become friends and help one another deal with their family issues. One of the girls is abused, both sexually and emotionally, and the other girl is grows up in a household where her mother makes her feel unimportant. The girls struggle with trying to understand boys and wanting to be liked by them. However, they are taken advantage of by one boy too many.
This story would be best fit for teenagers and even adults. It takes a more mature audience to read this novel because of the situations the girls are placed in. The characters are only in eighth grade yet they are already testing their sexually and are sexually abused and taken advantage of. It is horrible to think that people can abuse others to such a great extent, but it does happen and it is important to understand how this affects people.
The author makes it clear that we need to be careful with who we let into our lives and help and care for those we love and trust.
The author’s style makes this book interesting. Each chapter alternates from one of the girl’s perspective to the other’s perspective. It is in first person which allowed me to feel like the girls were speaking directly to me. This technique also enabled me to sympathize with the characters and gain a better understanding of how their family life and environment impacted their life and decisions.