All the Truth That's In Me by Julie Berry

Labeling this a compelling read. I read the first 115 pages in an hour, so it wasn’t a slow start for me, like it was for my daughter.  She read it first; her comment was, “Watch out for monkey wrenches in the plot!”  It’s set in puritanical times, but the first person format means it’s not really necessary to have a lot of background knowledge.  With the abundance of dystopian novels right now, I think the historical aspect could almost slide by unnoticed.  I wasn’t sure if it was set in America or Australia, myself.  The cover is deceiving, one of my co-workers thought it was about a serial killer.

Judith’s narration allowed me to empathize rather than pity her. But I worried for her, none the less, people make assumptions based on their own inclinations, and that has a habit of turning out bad. Lucas, I could understand very well.  He says on page 201, “It’s a cruel world…. Why did it have to happen?  and to you?.... I let it get in the way.”

Goodreads summary

Four years ago, Judith and her best friend disappeared from their small town of Roswell Station. Two years ago, only Judith returned, permanently mutilated, reviled and ignored by those who were once her friends and family. Unable to speak, Judith lives like a ghost in her own home, silently pouring out her thoughts to the boy who’s owned her heart as long as she can remember—even if he doesn’t know it—her childhood friend, Lucas. But when Roswell Station is attacked, long-buried secrets come to light, and Judith is forced to choose: continue to live in silence, or recover her voice, even if it means changing her world, and the lives around her, forever. This startlingly original novel will shock and disturb you; it will fill you with Judith’s passion and longing; and its mysteries will keep you feverishly turning the pages until the very last.