Robyn Bolger | Reporter
‘I Have No Secrets’, written by Penny Joelson, is a book which, in my opinion, is written from a very unusual and intriguing angle – from the perspective of a 14 year old girl, Jemma, who was diagnosed with severe cerebral paralysis and is unable to speak.
When she was young, she was put in foster care as her parents couldn’t take care of her. She has no clue who or where her family is and she has no way of asking.
Her foster mother is a very busy person, so she has a carer named Sarah, who appears to be the only person Jemma calls a friend. She has a brother and a sister in her foster family who were both diagnosed with something that affects their everyday life.
While everything is mostly peaceful in the household, there is always something which disturbs the quiet, and that noise has a name, Dan, Sarah’s boyfriend.
Dan has secrets, big secrets, and knowing that Jemma has no way of telling anybody, he spills everything to her. The little girl tries desperately to warn Sarah of the horrible things Dan has said and done but with no way of communication, that proves to be rather difficult.
Her family try everything to find a way for Jemma to have some means of communication which would allow her to tell them when shes hungry, thirsty or in pain. Infection hits her numerous times, nobody knows until the doctors tell them while she lies there in a hospital bed.
When something happens to Sarah however, everyones main focus goes from Jemma to her missing friend/carer. Little do they know that the way to get her back is to return their attention to the girl who knows all.
Hope is present when a possible way for Jemma to communicate is discovered. Dan continues to taunt Jemma and finally confirm everything she has suspected (something you must read this captivating novel to discover for yourself.)
I recommend this book to anyone who wants to read something a little different and begin to understand what its like to live with this condition.
Rating: 5/5
