“Blurred Lies” by Donna Scuvotti

What would you do if left out on the streets, having been thrown out of the not-always-soft but still cosy cocoon of a family home? For many, it would be a kind of blow from which they’d never recover. Used as we are to everyday comforts, most people would give up before trying. Shay Thorton isn’t like most people, and “Blurred Lies” by Donna Scuvotti tells a story of her fighting against the current and surviving in the direst circumstances.

At the tender age of seventeen, Shay finds herself homeless. Her family might not have been perfect, but losing stability is a devastating experience. But even though at first Shay has only her dog to keep her company and from going insane, she is determined to survive. She trudges through the streets of Seattle looking for the safest – as safe as being out on the streets can be – place to spend the night, for a bite to grab so that she doesn’t perish from hunger, and a chance to change the situation her life has thrown her into.

When that chance appears, Shay grabs it, despite it resembling not a lottery win but a thing to run away from as fast as her legs would carry her.

I liked how the author gradually introduced Shay’s present and former life to the reader. We get to learn the harsh reality she has to face living alone on the streets and also how drastically it differs from her former life within a family. We learn about her relationships with her father, mother, and sisters, and how her experiences as a child shaped her into the human being she is now.

I appreciated that the author didn’t try to make Shay perfect. Nobody who finds themselves homeless can remain without a blemish, in every sense. Even much less dramatic experiences change people, and even if we pull ourselves out of the abyss, never do we emerge the same as we were when descending into it. Some of Shay’s actions and decisions might prompt us to condemn her. But before judging her, everyone must ask themselves what they would do if they found themselves in a similar predicament. And more importantly, answer honestly.

The chance to escape homelessness, as dingy and disputable as it might be, brings with it new opportunities and a new friendship. As much as I was charmed by Shay’s faithful dog companion, Finnegan Pete, the character I’ve been totally smitten by is Madge. We all need a Madge in our lives, no matter how old we are and how disillusioned with people’s kindness. Read the book to make your heart fill with the warmth that, for the last time, you might have felt when you were a child.

“Blurred Lies” by Donna Scuvotti is a story with many layers, some of which will make you cringe at the cruelty and dishonesty that some people are capable of, while others will let a beautiful flower of hope blossom in your heart.