My Father’s Shadow, by Jannali Jones

Kaya is suffering from PTSD after a violent incident involving her father. Her mother has taken her into hiding – at the family’s holiday house – and imposes strict rules of seclusion that leave Kaya isolated and lonely. Things start to change when she makes a friend – against the rules – in Eric and she starts to recover her memories of what actually happened to her and her father. This is a prime example of a book that needed at least one more draft and some serious editing before it was published. There are things to like about it; Kaya is an appealing heroine and the tension builds nicely as her returning memories gradually reveal the truth. But so many things just don’t add up, including details of Kaya’s age, her grandparents, and her psychiatrist. Serious questions should have been asked of the author by an editor to make the plot hang together and to flesh out important characters like Kaya’s mother.