Cut Me Free by J. R. Johansson (review)

Piper and her younger brother Sam were reared off the grid and subjected to vicious, depersonalizing abuse by their parents until the day Sam died, her stepfather made seventeen-year-old Piper dig Sam’s grave, and Piper employed the shovel to kill both her parents. Armed with some family savings, Piper launches a new life as Charlotte, an identity invented by a good-hearted mob son named Cameron, whose interest in her soon becomes romantic. As she is learning how to negotiate her new life, however, she can’t help but recognize the signs of abuse in a young Thai girl she sees in a park, and her bold rescue of nine-year-old Sanda results in Piper’s committing yet another murder. When she begins to receive threatening messages, she wonders which of the people she thought she killed didn’t stay dead. Piper’s and Sanda’s skills and resilience are far-fetched in light of the intensity of their abuse, but their bond is heartening, particularly as they work on developing self-defense tactics and continually check with each other regarding who feels safe. Ultimately, then, while not as psychologically resonant or credible as Scott’s Living Dead Girl (BCCB 9/08) or Patricia McCormick’s Sold (BCCB 12/06), this suspenseful novel focuses attention on the plight of enslaved and abused children through an action/adventure plot, drawing on the satisfaction of liberating agency and righteous justice outside the law.