Book Review: You Can’t Take The Truth by J.L. Witterick
Reviewer: Creative Bird
You can’t take the truth by J.L. Witterick was highly resonant. The story opens on a believable tone and makes you want to flip the page. “There was a time when we worked to make our dreams come true”. The story slowed in Chapter 2 but picked up pace in Chapter 3 with the loss of her mother. Even though it was fictional, some parts read as if it were a memoir. “He also taught me the alphabet when I was three, which meant I could read picture books before kindergarten.” What is fiction without a little dip into reality in bits and pieces? I loved that the protagonist won at the end. It was a long-read and a page-turner.
What worked: The characters are believable, and Aunty Sherry seems relatable. There was a lovely quote in Chapter 43 “Sometimes the water is calm, others turbulent. It reminds me of life and how similar it is to the sea. Good days and bad—they come and go. Just sail on.”
What could have worked better: Some parts were too simplistic because of the use of clichés. Trying to paint Aunty Sherry and Helen as the villains seems belaboured and at some point tiring! The quote in chapter 41, “Death threats fill entire garbage bags on a daily basis,” seems unbelievable and exaggerated for people who have already been detained. This quote in chapter 43 might need to be reviewed “The life you have may not the one you want—but that, in of itself, is not the tragedy.”
Overall, it’s a good story that lovers of young adult and dystopian fiction will find captivating.
