Shadows of Wormwood Review

Shadows of Wormwood
By T.J. Koll

About the book:

Short, tough and painfully outspoken, Bitsy Cooper is far from your ordinary thirteen-year-old. While other girls her age worry about boys and clothes, “Itsy-Bitsy” spends her days skipping class and slugging it out with neighborhood bullies. Unfortunately, that tomboy-tenaciousness proves useless in dealing with her alcoholic father, her fanatically religious mother, or the anguish of losing her older brother on a foreign battlefield.

Still struggling with that profound grief and caught in the middle of her parents’ disintegrating marriage, Bitsy is suddenly confronted with a new challenge: protecting her little brother from a sadistic schoolyard delinquent who seems intent on putting him in the hospital…or worse. But to save her younger brother and indeed her family, Bitsy must do far more than simply stand up to yet another bully—she must overcome her own tempestuous spirit and the heartache from which it springs.

Filled with rich characters and unabashedly honest storytelling, Shadows of Wormwood explores the nature of pain and fear in our modern era and their impact on society’s most important institution—the family.

Adult themes and language.

Pub. Date: April 2011
Publisher: CreateSpace
ISBN-13: 9781461094616
ISBN: 1461094615

My Review:

I read Shadows of Wormwood in two nights.  This was a quick read, but very emotional at the same time.  I just wanted to wrap my arms around Bitsy and Henry and protect them from the world.  At times, I wanted to stand by Bitsy to fight the battles she chose to fight against.  I found it disheartening that Bitsy and Henry could never tell their parents what was happening in their world.  Shadows of Wormwood surrounds the Cooper family.  A family that is torn apart from the death of their older son and brother, Keith.  Bitsy then takes on the role to protect Henry since her older brother, Keith died.  Bitsy is a tom-boy who isn’t afraid to stand up to the bullies, whether it’s the boys tormenting Henry and the adults that are bullying her. 

It breaks my heart that there are kids bullying other kids.  I wasn’t bullied as a kid, but I was teased.  It hurt then and will never forget it.  My son has special needs and as his mom, I am worried he will face bullies in school.  Unfortunately I can’t protect him when he’s at school. 

Shadows of Wormwood was an emotional read.  This book was about real issues, real life situations, real life marriage problems.  You may or may not be able to relate to the situations involved in the book, but you will feel how the characters feel. 

Shadows of Wormwood can be purchased online at Amazon, IndieBound, and Barnes & Noble.

T.J. Koll can be found at his website.

Disclosure: The opinions provided are my own and not influenced by anyone else.  I did not receive any financial compensation for this post.  I received free products to facilitate my review.

Posted in: book review