Any Second by Kevin Emerson (review)

Elián has spent years at the hands of a kidnapper who has beaten and brainwashed him into becoming a weapon. When he walks into the mall strapped with explosives, anxious Maya takes action: the detonator malfunctions just long enough for her to put her thumb on top of Eli's, and they stay locked together for hours as the bomb squad defuses the threat. Ten months later, they are both suffering severe PTSD, and they are both in abusive relationships with classmates taking advantage of their suffering. Eli's presence at Maya's school at first makes her symptoms worse, but as they get to know each other, they begin a slow healing process. Their trauma isn't over, however, because Eli's kidnapper is still out there, and a new threat has emerged as the one-year anniversary approaches. Chapters alternate between Maya's and Eli's distinctly different perspectives, though both hear voices inside their heads that punctuate and perpetuate their worst inclinations and nightmares. While Eli's kidnapping provides a clear motivation for his disordered thinking, Maya's extreme anxiety and existential angst are just as debilitating, giving readers plenty of food for thought in the juxtaposition, especially given the similar way their abusers—Eli's kidnapper and Maya's girlfriend—twist and pervert words of love to manipulate them. While the ending may seem cinematic to the point of triteness, the build-up is emotionally and psychologically engrossing and revelatory as these teens drag themselves from very dark places into the light of friendship and redemption. KC