The Pain Eater
Beth Goobie
Type:
Fiction
Category:
Social Themes
Themes:
Bullying, Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance, Sexual Abuse
Language:
English
Publisher:
Grade Level:
8-11
Age Range:
13-17
Accessible Format Availability:
CELA Library
Description
She hadn’t told anyone. Not a single soul. Not one word about that night and what had been done to her had ever passed Maddy Malone’s lips. She’d thought about it at first - had been desperate, even frantic, to tell. But then had come the shame, and the intimidation from the boys who raped her - and the one who held her down. Now it’s the beginning of a new school year and Maddy is hoping that she can continue to hide, making herself as quiet and small as possible. She is consumed with keeping the memories at bay, forcing them down through small cuts and the burn from the end of a cigarette. But when her English class is given the assignment of writing a collaborative novel about a fifteen-year-old girl, The Pain Eater, fact and fiction begin to meet up. When the boys spread rumors about Maddy, she realizes that continuing to hide the truth will only give them more control, and she slowly gains the courage to confront them.
Contributors
Formats
Awards
White Pine AwardShort-listed
Saskatchewan Book Awards Book of the Year AwardShort-listed
Saskatchewan Book Awards Fiction AwardShort-listed
In the Margins Award Top Ten Fiction ListShort-listed
Saskatchewan Book Awards Young Adult Literature AwardWinner
Sequoyah Book Award (High School), Oklahoma Library AssociationShort-listed
High Plains Book Award - Young AdultWinner
Canadian Children's Book Centre's Best Books for Kids & Teens - Spring 2017Commended
Snow Willow AwardWinner