Bruised

Starred review from February 11, 2013
In this problem novel that quickly takes a romantic turn, first-time author Skilton paints a vivid portrait of a girl whose shame leads to an identity crisis. Sixteen-year-old Imogen is the youngest black belt in her tae kwon do dojang. She can break boards with her feet and toss a man twice her size, but when her skills are tested during a diner holdup, she cowers rather than acts, and a man dies. Having lost her confidence and her pride, Imogen is ready to give up martial arts until Ricky—another witness of the holdup—asks her to teach him how to throw a punch. While working with Ricky, Imogen makes discoveries about her passions and fears, while reflecting on her disabled father, playboy brother, and tae kwon do teacher, as well as Ricky himself, the one person who understands what she’s going through. Offering psychological drama and an introduction to a martial-arts code of behavior, the book has a meaningful message about power, control, and the internal bruises carried by victims. Ages 12–up. Agent: Sara Megibow, Nelson Literary Agency.

February 15, 2013
A taekwondo black belt struggles to forgive herself after failing to act when she witnesses the police shoot and kill a would-be robber. Disciplined, confident Imogen is shaken to the core when a man holds up the diner she's eating in and she hides beneath a table rather than trying to disarm the perpetrator. She locks eyes with a boy who is also hiding while an acquaintance calls the police from the bathroom. Imogen winds up covered in the gunman's blood. Realistically gut-wrenching weeks follow, as she tries to come to terms with nightmares, anxiety and, most of all, a deep sense of shame. Her fellow witness turns out to be Ricky, a new student at her school, and the two find themselves intensely bonded due to their shared experience. They eventually embark on a relationship that includes her training him in martial arts. Imogen is a refreshingly complicated and intense character, but her rigid refusal to forgive others, such as her kind but sexually promiscuous older brother and her father, a diabetic who is not taking care of himself, makes it hard to like her at times. However, her story is compelling, and readers will stick with her as new insights bring about a believable shift in her behavior. This distinctive debut will be appreciated by fans of contemporary fiction. (Fiction. 14 & up)

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May 1, 2013

Gr 8 Up-High-school junior Imogen suffers from memory lapses after witnessing an armed robbery at a diner. During the event, she hid under a table and locked eyes with a boy, who, like her, was frozen by fear. The gunman threatened the cashier and was shot dead by police. The youngest black belt in her Tae Kwan Do dojang, Imogen is ashamed that she did not use her skills to prevent the tragedy. In counseling sessions with Ricky, the crouching boy, she finds genuine friendship and burgeoning romance. However, her guilt causes her to avoid the dojang and alienate friends and family, especially her Casanova brother, Hunter, who hooked up with her friend Shelly, and her father, whom she resents for being wheelchair-bound and unwilling to pursue physical therapy. At the breaking point, she delivers an undeserved punch to Ricky and is banished from the dojang. Poignant and emotionally raw at times and humorous at others, this debut novel adeptly portrays a shattered life in the wake of an unexpected act of violence and the road back to normalcy. Imogen's repressed memories come back slowly as the members of her support system face their own learning curve in how to help her cope. Fans of realistic fiction will appreciate the multilayered story, Tae Kwan Do action and philosophy, and resilient protagonist.-Vicki Reutter, Cazenovia High School, NY

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2013
Being bruised "means you're alive," Imogen's friend Ricky tells her after she hurts her hand. "The body can't bruise once the heart stops beating." But for Imogen, a high school junior and a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, this self-inflicted injury represents just one more way she's punished herself in the months since she witnessed a holdup at the local diner. Can she ever forgive herself for hiding under a table instead of using her martial arts training to somehow stop the crime and prevent the gunman from being shot to death by police? This layered first novel explores the aftereffects of the trauma, convincingly depicting why Imogen blames herself for a situation over which she had no control. Skilton also sensitively depicts the bond and tentative romance that develops between Imogen and Ricky, another witness to the shooting who also hid beneath a table. While Skilton's teen characters often seem more like twelve-year-olds when talking or thinking about love and sex, the main story line about Imogen's struggle to come to terms with what she did (and did not do) is nuanced and honest. christine m. heppermann

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2013
Imogen, a high school junior and a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, has been punishing herself since she witnessed an armed holdup at the local diner. Can she ever forgive herself for hiding instead of using her training to stop it? Nuanced and honest, this layered first novel convincingly depicts Imogen's struggle to come to terms with what she did (and didn't do).

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)