Whatever Happened to Maryanna
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4.5 • 2 Ratings
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- $4.99
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
Fifteen-year-old Maryanna Duncard's life is a delicate balance of school and trying to steer clear of her abusive dad, Ethan. When she meets Faron, their connection quickly ignites her life, and they fall deeply in love.
Maryanna is over the moon, and things are going well. Her future looks bright. Until, that is, her father catches them in her room one fateful night and hunts Maryanna's first love down in cold blood with his Winchester repeater.
Maryanna turns to the police who, for some strange reason, refuse to believe a word she says. Despite all the evidence to the contrary, they claim Faron's murder was just a horrific accident.
On the run now and fearful for her life, Maryanna must learn how to survive on her own in a cruel world that has taught her to trust no one.
The next years force her into a downward spiral that almost takes her life. Along the way, she meets a new friend, James, and her journey to love again leads her somewhere she never expected.
Can Maryanna learn to take control of the darkness she carries within, or will it devour her before she can claim her happy ending?
Customer Reviews
Tragic Love Story, Abusive Dad
4.5 stars. Whatever Happened to Maryanna is well-written but painful to read realistic fiction. Maryanna, 15, falls in love with Faron, a boy at school. Their love story is a beautiful depiction of teenage love. Sadly, it ends tragically. Then everything spirals out of control.
Trigger warnings: There are depictions of abuse, being a runaway, and dangerous situations.
Maryanna's family doesn't have a lot, but they make do. Her mother, Lola, is a waitress and her father is unemployed for medical reasons. Lola's great. She and Maryanna are close, but the dad, Ethan, is sick in the head. He calls Maryanna "Girl". Not, "Hey, girl," but "Girl". He's abusive and possibly paranoid. He might also abuse alcohol. Whatever's wrong with him, I don't know, but he's dangerous.
Tragedy strikes and the police aren't helpful. So, nobody does anything about Ethan. There's a lot of physical abuse at home, then tragedy strikes again. Then she's on her own. Maryanna does technically have a support system, but she doesn't know what to do, and she's too scared to go home.
This book is well-written, and it's a great story, but it's hard to read. I loved Maryanna. I loved all the characters except Ethan. I do recommend Whatever Happened to Maryanna, but you've got to know beforehand what you're getting into. This book is not for the faint of heart.
Whatever Happened to Maryanna
A book about trauma and confronting it. The metaphorical uses of balance between dark and light is creatively done, down to things like deliberate clothing worn by the title character. Well done. Didn’t find any spelling or grammar mistakes either. Very polished title