The Illusion of a Girl

#1 Best Seller in Teen and Young Adult Fiction Perception is king, especially in a small Ohio town. Jessie Taylor seems like a normal 15-year-old girl, but she’s an illusion of what people expect her to be: a good girl, a smart girl, and most importantly, a girl from a respectable family. Her family may appear ordinary, even wholesome, but behind closed doors it’s an anxiety soaked nightmare without reprieve. Jessie and her brother Brian, struggle bravely together as they fight to survive their violent father.

Even the excitement of falling in love for the first time can’t seal the foundational cracks in her psyche. As her home life worsens, Jessie mentally begins to bend and then break. No one foresees the girl Jessie becomes, the dark abilities she possesses or the vengeance she'll take. Check out the sequel, The Illusion of a Boy. Kirkus Editorial Review: THE ILLUSION OF A GIRL BY LEEANN WERNER A remarkable cast enhances this clever, disquieting psychological tale. In this debut YA thriller, a teen’s darker side surfaces as she suffers under a hateful, abusive father. Things are looking up for Jessie Taylor, at least at her Stanton, Ohio, school. She walks the same halls as her supportive older brother, Brian, and catches the attention of his blue-eyed football teammate Alex Corbin. But her household presents a far grimmer picture. The siblings’ perpetually drunk father verbally and physically assaults Jessie and Brian as well as their mom, who seems incapable of helping her children.

The unrelenting stress weighs on Jessie the most, and she starts getting headaches and forgetting things. Soon “the other” emerges—a stronger personality who handles threats against Jessie with assertiveness and occasionally violence. The siblings panic when the school counselor sees that something is wrong, as a phone call home will surely end with their dad’s fulfilling his promise to kill Jessie for talking about their “family problems.” Brian sees signs of Jessie’s other, though his sister is oblivious. He knows that the other’s disturbing methods won’t likely have a healthy resolution. In this series opener, Werner’s multidimensional characters shine, as even the abusive father seems more complex than an outright villain. Likewise, supporting characters, such as Brian’s girlfriend and several of Jessie’s classmates, stand out. The author masterfully weaves such topical issues as alcoholism and toxic masculinity into the plot; the latter, for example, isn’t always a person’s conspicuous trait that others instantly recognize.

Though chapter headings designate the oft-changing narrative voices, the crisp prose gives them unmistakable distinction. It’s clear when Jessie’s other comes out during the narration. Most of the turns in the story’s second half are predictable, like Jessie’s visit to a fortuneteller. They’re nevertheless unnerving, as tension slowly and effectively builds, leading to a denouement that perfectly sets up the sequel. A remarkable cast enhances this clever, disquieting psychological tale. Based on a true story, the author grew up with an abusive alcoholic father and lived to share the tale. She hopes her story inspires others to move beyond their dysfunctional families and stop the cycle of abuse.