Broken by Roni Askey-Doran
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Roni-Askey-Doran grabbed my attention from the very first sentence in “Broken”. I had to find out what would drive Emily Zylaz to decide to commit suicide on her birthday. As I followed Emily through her day and learned more about her journey to this pivotal day I began to understand how she came to that point in her life. After a childhood where she felt abandoned by a father she never knew, unloved by her mother and sister, sexually assaulted by an uncle, raped, and abused and beaten by her ex-husband, Emily has led a life of pain. Feeling hopeless and insignificant she believes no one will even miss her when she is gone.
On a day when she loses her job she also makes new friends although she doesn’t see them as such initially. As every step she takes toward her well thought out plan to hang herself is foiled by unknowing participants I wanted to cheer. Surely this woman would begin to see she had every reason to live.
With a surprising and thrilling conclusion that left me breathless “Broken” flew to the top of my must read books to recommend. Beautifully written, the language is colorful and engaging drawing the reader into the story. I couldn’t put it down, desperate to learn if Emily would succeed or fail. This is a touching story of fear and loneliness, love and secrets, and the glimmer of serendipity that can change a life in a flash. I highly and joyfully recommend “Broken”.
Between the Beats 