Random House Canada Random Reader Challenge Young Adult
So the Challenge this time around was to read one of the following Adult fiction books:
The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong
The Taming by Teresa Toten and Eric Walters
Someone Else’s Life by Katie Dale
Blood Red Road by Moira Young
The Fathomless Fire by Thomas Wharton
Flip by Martyn Bedford
For me the decision came down to which book became available first from my local library. The first book to win the battle was The Taming by Teresa Toten and Eric Walters from DoubleDay Canada 2012. It also ended up being my 24th read for the 50 Book Pledge.
The Taming is a book about high school students who meet and become involved while their drama class performs Shakespeare's The Taming of The Shrew. The Taming starts off strong with an introduction to Katie and her friends Travis and Lisa. The second chapter introduces us to Evan who becomes Katie's boyfriend. There is a very distinct clash between different society classes. The novel switches between Katie and Evan's POV every chapter to give a rounded account of the story.
As the book continues there are several parallels to The Taming of The Shrew, however Katie goes from being a person who disappears into the background to a strong confident young woman able to stand
up to and ultimately break up with Evan a very controlling boyfriend. This of course is the reverse of what happens in the play but it deals with a reality many teens face.
I found the turning points in the book to be when Katie's mom's boyfriend Joey tells Katie to be careful and that he suspects what is happening as well as when Katie goes to Lisa for help in "catching" Evan. It was wonderful to see Katie stand up to Evan and I got the impression even though he was making all the promises he didn't really change but was just a smooth operator like his father used to getting women to do whatever he wanted.
The Taming is a relatively easy read that explores the issue of controlling/abusive relationships in a subtle manner. I enjoyed the book and recommend to any young girl in such a circumstance or
a friend who wants to know how to support a friend in such a situation.
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