Unspeakable By Abbie Rushton

[amazon_link id=”0349002061″ target=”_blank” ][/amazon_link]’Unspeakable’ is Abbie Rushton’s debut novel.

Megan doesn’t speak. She hasn’t spoken in months. Pushing away the people she cares about is just a small price to pay. Because there are things locked inside Megan’s head – things that are screaming to be heard – that she cannot, must not, let out. Then Jasmine starts at school: bubbly, beautiful, talkative Jasmine. And for reasons Megan can’t quite understand, life starts to look a bit brighter. Megan would love to speak again, and it seems like Jasmine might be the answer. But if she finds her voice, will she lose everything else?

This book is a captivating story that I read in a day. The story is ironically written through the narrative of Megan, a teenage girl who has chosen not to talk after her best friend was killed in a tragic accident. Left behind and feeling responsible, she prefers to wallow in her pity and guilt, living in the rougher side of the town, she is easily the victim of bullies, with her  behaviour, lack of fighting back and being poor. But then newcomer Jasmine sits beside her on the bus, the two of them embark on a strange but sweet friendship, where talkative Jasmine talks the most for the two, whilst Megan has silent conversations with her new best friend and wonders how she will ever pluck up the courage to speak again.

The story is a Young Adult novel and focuses heavily on the difficult issues that teenagers have to deal with such as bullying, acceptance and sexuality. The addition of a silent girl thrown into the mix, does make for gripping reading, as she struggles to fit in and worries that her new bubbly best friend will become so popular that she could be left alone again. As the two friends become closer and learn new things about each other, we see Megan become more confident as Jasmine brings her out of her shell and coaxes her to speak.

Presented with a haunting cover and intriguing title, I thought this book was a dark yet sensitive story with elements of humour thrown in, particularly with Megan’s witty way of carrying on and interacting with others. A story about friendship, grief  and forgiveness, ‘Unspeakable’ is a compelling and emotional story suitable for any age, a thoroughly enjoyable story.

You can buy [amazon_link id=”0349002061″ target=”_blank” ]Unspeakable from Amazon [/amazon_link] and is also available to buy from good bookshops.