by Cathy Glass
First published 2010
Reece stands at Cathy's door, just seven years old but already carrying the weight of four failed foster placements in a single month. His aggressive outbursts and biting attacks have earned him the nickname "Sharky" from his own mother. School has expelled him. Social workers shuffle his files with growing frustration. Cathy takes him in as his fifth carer, determined to uncover what drives his violent behavior. But Reece guards a family secret his mother made him swear never to reveal. As the final court hearing approaches, the social worker discovers five separate files on Reece's family, each telling a different piece of a disturbing story. The boy's silence protects those who hurt him most. Cathy must break through his walls of secrecy to understand why this child lashes out at everyone trying to help him. Only when the darkest truth finally surfaces can Reece begin to heal.
Genres: family, family-life, abuse, contemporary, biography-memoir, foster-children, adoption, family-drama
Vibes: dark, emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: family-secrets, found-family, unreliable-narrator
344 pages · Paperback · HarperElement
Content warnings: child-abuse, mental-illness