Deborah Woehr

Reprinted from The Writers Buzz.
Sexual abuse against children is something we try hard not to think about, let alone discuss. Katrina Kittle’s The Kindness of Strangers is a story about an eleven year-old boy, who makes the decision to end his life in order to escape the sexual torment inflicted upon him by his parents and their child porn ring.

Jordan’s plan is botched when Sarah Laden, a friend of his mother’s, finds him standing in his driveway in the rain when he should be in school. From there, the story explodes into a heartwrenching crisis for Jordan, Sarah Laden and her two sons, and the small town they live in.

Sarah takes Jordan in, despite her misgivings, and tries to make Jordan feel like a part of her family as he tries to come to grips with who his parents really are and what they put him through. Kittle doesn’t get too descriptive about the “parties” (which is a good thing), but pounds you with the emotional impact from the beginning to the end.

This is one of the most powerful stories I’ve ever read and will become a permanent part of my library. Highly recommended.