Tooth for Tooth

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I really enjoyed the book. I love how the author showed the importance of forgiveness.

Tooth for Tooth, by Canadian Author Kimberley Payne, is a well-written work of art. Although, the topic of child incest is hard to comprehend and digest, Ms. Payne manages to share this heart-wrenching story in a unique way as she describes the negative emotions one would expect a mother to experience. Heather Williams, the main character, is confronted with the fact that her ex-husband is molesting their young daughter.

Upon the discovery of her four-year old daughter's painful plight, Heather is consumed with the usual emotions of anger, despair, frustration with the system, and desperation to ensure the safety of Caitlin when visiting with her father. Ms. Payne has done a great deal of research in order to describe the number of such cases that exist in society today and basically how they are handled. It is painful to realize how rampant sexual abuse is and that those we think we can trust, are often times, the very perpetrators of these horrible sexual crimes on innocent young children.

Ms. Payne does an excellent job of sharing both Heather's and Caitlin's journeys as they go through the necessary steps in order to heal. Heather manages to find her support system in a Women's Church Group, while Caitlin bonds with an incredible child therapist. Ms. Payne injects some humor into this sad situation by commenting on the physical appearances of the people Heather encounters throughout her journey in finding protection for Caitlin and assistance for herself as she learns to cope with the situation. Ms. Payne also manages to throw in a hint of romance to round off this very difficult topic in order to add some positivity to the theme. By doing so, it helps makes this novel much easier to read as the subject of child sexual abuse, especially incest, is very difficult to even imagine, let alone live with. The end goal in this novel is to effectively deal with the crime committed and to eventually forgive the offender. Ms. Payne does a great job of taking the reader there. Let go...let God is her motto!

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Kimberley Payne has done an admirable job of portraying a single mother's navigation through the difficult maze of doctors and social workers when she suspects that her baby daughter has been abused. She writes about this difficult subject with depth and grace.

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Kimberley Payne has written head-on into a much denied topic. Who wants to admit that sexual abuse happens in families? Who wants to think about the innocence of a child tainted by another's desire? Payne has given her readers a process with integrity and honesty to explore this issue? The plot is believable and the characters interact with the reader as in conversation. The setting is an 'everyday neighbourhood' place. The story shows the importance of faith in a troubled situtation. It is important for authors to confront this issue and Kimberley Payne has accomplished it. * * * *

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I enjoyed Kimberley Payne's character descriptions: not only did her writing style open windows to reveal colorful people, she empowered me to virtually hear and smell them!
The theme of the book, sadly relevant today, deals with child sexual abuse. Payne tends to sidestep much of the pain inflicted on the victim and those who love her, and concentrates on the distress and suffering imposed by those charged with the responsibility to help. Even the legal and court system fails to show compassion and come to grips with the human element.
A major message: be prepared to stand alone, or better, to lean on the Lord should you find yourself in similar circumstances.

I couldn't stop pushing the arrow key on my kindle as I wanted to read this intense story. The subject was heavy, but the freedom found was beautiful. Very descriptive and heart-wrenching. I'm so glad I spent the day reading this novel.