Split by Swati Avasthi

For nearly all his life, Jace Witherspoon has lived with secrets, most of them not entirely his own. In fact, his whole family has too. It’s because of these secrets that Jace finally goes to find Christian, his brother who left years ago. Living with his estranged brother, Jace tries to make a new start, but the memories are so raw; he can’t forget all that he’s left behind: his mother who is still suffering under the violent anger of his father, and his ex-girlfriend and what he regretfully did to her. The last thing Jace wants is to turn out like his father, to responsible for domestic abuse, but the odds, statistics, and his past are stacked against him. In order for him to begin a new life cleanly, Jack may have to do what he fears most—go back.

Split is a raw and honest depiction of domestic violence and its horrific effects both physically and mentally. The topic of this story is what really defines the novel. This is a serious topic and a serious story; there will be more tears shed from reading Split that quite chuckles heard. This novel is a twisted emotional roller coaster, exposing much more negative emotions of the darker side of life, like fury, regret, and unbridled fear. Thankfully, there are some moments of slight comic relief spaced throughout the story; otherwise, this subject matter may have been too intense for many readers to handle. The characters, especially Jace, Christian, and their mother, are for the most part vividly defined by their circumstances and extremely realistic, almost scarily so, which may be the point. Split is a must read in the sense that it raises awareness about domestic violence while also ending in hope.

Because of the nature of this topic, I recommend that Split be read only by those mature enough to handle it. Readers who have been interested in novels like Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott may also want to check this one out.

Rating: 4.5

Review copy from Amazon Vine