Book Review: "Words" by Ginny Yttrup

Summary from Christianbook.com: Kaylee's mother is gone. And it seems she took Kaylee's voice with her. Now, ten-year old Kaylee must fend for herself with her mother's abusive boyfriend. Her days are spent collecting words she may never speak.

Sierra Dawn is alone. She has allowed the shame of her past to silence her present hopes. But on the twelfth anniversary of her daughter's death, God begins wooing her back to Himself.Brought together by Divine design, the relationship between Kaylee and Sierra begins a healing process in each of them as they dare to let the Truth, Jesus Christ, set them free.

There are very few books in Christian fiction that leave me speechless after reading. I find this book to be one of them which is rather ironic since the purpose of this book deals with using words to express oneself. It is also rare of me to consider the plot of a Christian fiction book to be highly on par with general market reads. This is not because the quality of writing is drastically lesser but because usually more emphasis is place on faith and not on the actual writing. This book however is highly skilled in both areas making it a story that I am eager to recommend to all readers.

The key factor to this book is what goes on in the story. There are elements in this book that most Christian authors would not dare approach because their readers would be offended or shocked or dismayed at the contents. But Yttrup has an advantage here because this is her first novel she doesn't have any previous readers who will get offended! She has experience working in with people that suffered like Kaylee so therefore it feels very realistic and authentic of what happens to the young girl in this story.

I really felt that Kaylee's voice sounded exactly like the age she was supposed to portray. Wiser and mature beyond her years because of what she has to go through but still very much a young child inside. Ytrrup does a wonderful job at writing in both Kaylee's and Sierra's voices and it blends together very smoothly. It's a heartbreaking story. There is a lot of hurt between the two characters but there is also hope. Yet it's done realistically so not to think that there will always be happy endings like this.

There was only thing that I found really annoying about this book. It really got on my nerves that Sierra kept calling Kaylee "little one." I don't know if it was because of my mood at the time that I was reading but it seriously kept grating my nerves. I would have been fine if this only came up a few times throughout the story but literally it was happening on every page. Some readers might find it cute and showing affection but I felt it to be overdone and a bit insulting to not use Kaylee's name.

Other than this, I truly loved reading this book. I honestly feel that this is one of the best books that B&H has published in long time. It's a hard story to read at times because of the physical and sexual abuse that Kaylee has to go through. It's not pretty at all. There are many times when you will feel uncomfortable while reading. Those who are looking for a safe read with neat and tidy endings will not want to read this book. However for those that want to read about reality in their faith, you will want to read this book. It's absolutely beautiful writing and I truly want to recommend this book to everyone. This is Yttrup's debut novel and it is a fabulous read. I am looking forward to reading more from her and I hope that more books like this will be published in the Christian fiction industry. HIGHLY recommended.

Words by Ginny Yttrup is published by B and H Publishing (2011)

This ARC was provided by the publisher