Triste Tigre by Neige Sinno

 

It is hard to properly describe Triste tigre, the autobiographical account by Mexico-based, French-born Neige Sinno, other than a story of horrible child abuse. 

As a first-person story, it offers a rare testimony of the constant sexual abuse she experienced as a small child in the hands of her step father. A rare account explaining directly, or through literary comparisons, the perspective of the victim and the victim only. There is no place for the perpetrator who nevertheless is able to live his life, eventually having a new family and new children. But the victim, herself, cannot live for the rest of her life without being haunted by the abuse. 

Born in the Department of Haute-Alpes, in a hippy family, living in precarious housing situation in the mountains, by far more precarious than the everyday life of Annie Ernaux´s family for instance, she had no childhood memory left untained but the abuse. Her everyday life was marked by the abuse, her physical and mental evolution were stamped by the abuse. 

Indeed, the perpetrator was able to go on with his life afterwards, being greeted by the former neighbours and re-accepted in the society. But what about the victim feelings and pains? No wonder that many victims of sexual abuse end up in the claws of addition or commit suicide.

Literature may be a refuge, but using literary skills to share the story is the gift for refugees without a land. It also may help to change perspectives and perceptions, especially in France where few years ago, the discussions regarding age of sexual consent stirred a wave of discussions both in the political and civil sphere.  

Triste tigre, who received significant awards in France, and was translated in several languages since its publication, including English - as Sad Tigre - it´s a book of infinite and hopeless sadness. A necessary book, nevertheless.

Rating: 5 stars 

Book Tour: Love and Other Sins by Emilia Ares

 

Set in contemporary everyday life LA (not just the pretty Beverly Hills), Love and Other Sins, the debut novel by film and TV actress Emilia Ares is intelligent and adventurous. It has as well the same amount of emotions as touching upon sensitive issues such as child abuse and various mentions of miscarriage, anger management and suicidal thoughts. Although such topics are rarely addressed in YA novels it does on mean that they don´t exist. In fact, as far as I remember from my own young adolescent life, such issues are very much presents into the everyday life of a young person - particularly suicidal thoughts - but adults rarely accept to acknowledge it. Such a courageous take makes the book even more appealing in its realistic approach to everyday young life.

In a very organised world, Mina and Oliver would never meet. Each would have follow up their own paths, in their own worlds. Particularly Mina, a very academically focused young lady, whose main interests are predominantly about school grades and academic achievements. But life, real life, is less about our plans and more about our capacity of being able to adapt and even embrace difference into our life: different people, different destinies, a turn of luck. 

Although Oliver is interesting and intelligent, but despite the young age, he has a heavy and complicated destiny he is carrying with him, deep hidden into his heart. As a child abuse survivor, he needs a new identity and a new life to start and life, as usual, is not always generous with him. However, he struggles to get back his life and on his way, he meets Mina whose growing up fond of him.

The story construction seems to be sometimes too much focused on the relationship between the two. On one hand, it allows a good profile of both of them, but on the other hand, it neglects some of the other characters as well as the course of action. I´ve enjoyed the intelligent conversations though as well as the ways in which the relationship between the two, even at the very beginning it seemed very impossible. But love is often about impossible things, isn´t it?

Love and Other Sins is a book recommended to young adult readers, but also to their educators and psychologists interested in new takes of very common encounters for this age. Personally, I am very glad that there are new and new takes on such important issues affecting young adults, storified in such a very new and empathic way.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered by the published in exchange for an honest review but the opinions are, as usual, my own