Girl Reflected in Knife is a psychologically harrowing YA novel that follows a vulnerable teen as she navigates a breakup and the grief-fueled disassociation that ensues.
Seventeen-year-old white Destiny Black has "never been lucky in anything"--her mother has a history of addiction, she's suffered abuse, and a childhood "game of make-believe" as a trauma response "crossed from survival mechanism into full-blown delusion," landing her in psychiatric treatment. Destiny expects more of the same when her recently sober mother moves them to yet another new town. Then she meets Ryan, the town's football star, and the two fall in love. Just as Destiny starts believing in "happily right now," Ryan breaks it off to "focus on the season." Destiny is shattered. An impromptu lie lends her some "stolen hope," but ultimately leads to her escaping back into her childhood fantasy world. Destiny slowly spirals into a distorted reality that will make her lose everything she believes she has gained.
Anica Mrose Rissi (Wishing Season) deftly examines mental health through the lens of internalized trauma and skewed self-perception. Destiny always has one foot in an alternate reality, either through art or directly in her life, blurring "the line between what feels real and what is real." Rissi handles these sensitive moments with compassion. As Destiny's story unfolds, Rissi builds empathy with heartbreaking examples, such as Destiny's mother selling her bike for drug money. Enlightening fairy tale-like story interstitials appear throughout, further demonstrating Destiny's attempts at self-protection. This emotional YA novel is both tragic and mesmerizing. --Lana Barnes, freelance reviewer and proofreader