Disconnected - Softcover

Lisa M. Cronkhite

Softcover

ISBN 10: 192934502X ISBN 13: 9781929345021

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press, 2014

Synopsis

Seventeen-year-old Milly is continually bullied by Amelia Norris. Day in and day out, Amelia torments Milly and even threatens to hurt her, but Milly can't tell anyone―not a soul. Why? Because Amelia is Milly―they both co-exist as one in the same body.

Milly is so disconnected from her past that she feels compelled to find out what truly happened to her when her parents were still alive. After a mysterious fire, she and Grandpa George move into Aunt Rachel's Victorian home where Milly then begins to unravel puzzling clues to her family history. Through dreams and scattered memories, Milly journals her story, trying to cope by putting the shattered pieces back together, all the while resisting her inner demon.

But Amelia won't go down easily, and is determined to cut Milly out of the real world―literally. After Milly stumbles across Aunt Rachel's notebook, she begins to wonder who her real family is. Little by little, Milly assembles the pieces of her shattered past and begins to feel like everything she thought to be true is one big lie.

About this title

About the Author

Lisa M. Cronkhite has various poems and short stories in print and online. Her first two novels were Dreaming a Reality and Demon Girl, both published by Eternal Press. Lisa's third novel and her first young adult book, Deep in the Meadows was published by Leap Books. www.writingsbylisamcronkhite.blogspot.com

Reviews

Gr 9 Up—Although she prefers the name Milly, guardians Grandpa George and Aunt Rachel call her Amelia. What they don't know is that Amelia is also Milly's selfish and self-destructive other half. But whether or not Milly is mentally ill is unclear in this drive-by of a novel that finds its heroine dealing with disorders ranging from cutting and anorexia to incest. Revelations about the family's secret past add another layer of incredulity on the plot, and come complete with dark corners, a missing key, a forbidden diary, a hidden gravestone, and a curious cat who points the way toward some answers. While Milly feels unhinged when Amelia pesters her to do bad things, and she suffers emotionally and physically because of this, the alter ego also pushes her to learn the true identity of her parents, thought to have died in a fire when she was a child. It's from Amelia, perhaps, that Milly learns not to shrink back, such as in her relationship with decent guy Blake Stone, or the ability to walk away from a party awash in alcohol. Millie's small victories of confidence convince more than the novel does as a whole; although the teen years can be tough, it's overkill to lay so many traumas on a single protagonist.—Georgia Christgau, Middle College High School, Long Island City, NY

Edition details

• Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
• Publication date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 192934502X
• ISBN 13: 9781929345021
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 186