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Speak No Evil

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Speak No Evil

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Overview

The daughter of Appalachian snake handlers becomes a ward of the state after her eerie “gift” causes a tragedy that leaves her orphaned.

Bram Stoker Nominee, Speak No Evil named #14 in Ginger Nuts of Horror’s Top 100 YA Horror Novels of the Last Decade. “Ultimately this is a novel about real life horror; abuse, overcoming it, and the resilience of Melody Fisher as she slowly, with a lot of help, turns her life around.” ~Ginger Nuts of Horror

“Melody’s story is grim, but hope is weaved in throughout ... highly emotional.” ~School Library Journal

Compelling, gripping, and evocative, Speak No Evil is a study in personality development, horror, how support systems for teens can either succeed or fail, and the impact a caring adult can have on a teenager’s life.” ~Midwest Book Review

What if every time you told the truth, evil followed?

My name is Melody Fisher. My daddy was a snake handler in Appalachia until Mama died. Though years have passed, I can still hear the rattle before the strike that took her from me.

And it’s all my fault.

Since then, I’ve been passed around from foster home to foster home. I didn’t think anything could be as bad as losing Mama.

I was wrong.

But I will not speak of things people have done to me. Every time I do, worse evil follows. Now, the only thing I trust is what saved me years ago.

Back when I would sing the snakes calm ...

WARNING: This book contains situations of violence and sexual abuse/rape which the reader may find disturbing.

* * *

“Expect a paranormal twist, spooky mountain folklore, rattlesnake handling and much soul searching as Melody makes peace with herself—and the trauma she has endured.” ~Girls' Life Magazine

“Gardner’s storytelling displays the same sort of sinister charm as she unravels Melody’s past to tell the story of her present. Speak No Evil is at once hypnotic, vaguely sinister, and decidedly beautiful, with sharp, poignant prose that handles the heaviest of issues with grace and delicacy.” ~The Nerd Daily

"... a touching tribute to the power of love." ~IndieReader

Liana Gardner named to the Ginger Nuts of Horror 30 YA Authors You Should Know List

Awards:

Nominee for Superior Achievement in a Young Adult Novel, Bram Stoker Awards®
Silver Medal Winner: Young Adult Fiction, Nautilus Book Awards
Bronze Medal Winner in Young Adult Fiction, Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY)
Gold Medal Winner in Young Adult Fiction — Mature Issues, Moonbeam Children's Book Awards
Gold Medal Winner in New Adult Fiction, NYC Big Book Awards
Finalist in Best Juvenile or Young Adult Fiction, Silver Falchion Award

Product Details
About the Author

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781944109844
Publisher:	Vesuvian Books
Publication date:	10/01/2019
Pages:	354
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.90(d)
Lexile:	HL650L (what's this?)
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Liana Gardner is the multi-award-winning author of the Misfit McCabe series, 7th Grade Revolution, and The Journal of Angela Ashby. The daughter of a rocket scientist and an artist, Liana combines the traits of both into a quirky yet pragmatic writer and in everything sees the story lurking beneath the surface. Engaged in a battle against leukemia and lymphoma, Liana spends much of her time at home, but allows her imagination to take her wherever she wants to go. She fostered her love of writing after reading Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women and discovering she had a great deal in common with the character Jo. The making up of stories, dramatic feelings, and a quick temper were enough for her to know she and Jo would have been kindred spirits. Liana volunteers with high school students through the International Trade Education Programs (ITEP). ITEP unites business people and educators to prepare students for a meaningful place in the world of tomorrow. Working in partnership with industry and educators, ITEP helps young people “think globally and earn locally.” www.LianaGardner.com www.SpeakNoEvilNovel.com

From the B&N Reads Blog

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Editorial Reviews

SPEAK NO EVIL, for a book centered around terrible things happening to a young girl, manages to be a remarkably tender and warmhearted story. Melody's life has indeed been far more difficult than any child should have to endure, but at key points, it is also touched with warmth and love, from her parents, from her first foster mother Quatie Raincrow, from her social worker Miss Prescott, and from Dr. Kane. Her religion is a plausible and intriguing mix of snake-handling Christianity and Cherokee beliefs, and the resilient strength it gives her is evident. There are some wrenching, heartbreaking moments in this book, both for Melody and for other characters, but the story's loving message shines through at least somewhat even in its darkest times, and its message is ultimately hopeful and uplifting. The story is simply told, in clear language which manages to be poetically descriptive without being overelaborate or excessively embroidered. Melody's story unfolds bit by bit, and it's hard not to be won over by her strong, loving spirit, or to empathize with her repeated struggles to keep her head above water emotionally given all that happens to her. Her songs illustrate and add emotional color to her story, especially the ones (like the rattlesnake song) that reverberate in more than one context. IR Verdict: 4.5 (OUT OF 5) SPEAK NO EVIL is a touching tribute to the power of loving faith and steadfast, patient kindness to heal the damage done by human cruelty and thoughtlessness.

IndieReader - Catherine Langrehr

07/19/2019
Gr 9 Up-Melody Fisher, a nonverbal 16-year-old, has stabbed a popular football player with a scissors. As she gets to know and slowly trust her court-appointed psychiatrist, she starts telling him her story the only way she can, through the songs on her mp3 player. In nonlinear bursts, readers learn about Melody's past. Born to two loving parents who are active in a snake-handling church in Appalachia, Melody has both a healthy fear and a mystical connection to the poisonous reptiles that seem to be all around her. When her parents die, she is bounced around the foster system for years—spending significant time in both secure, loving households and abusive and traumatizing ones. The plot hits quite a few lulls, although the time-jumping creates some suspense and intrigue. Melody's story is grim, but hope is weaved in throughout. Song lyrics are integrated heavily into the narrative, with varied effect. VERDICT Purchase where highly emotional stories are in demand.-Beth McIntyre, Madison Public Library, WI

School Library Journal

2019-06-04
A mute teenager needs to find her voice in order to testify in her own self-defense.
At age 15, Melody is arrested for stabbing Asheville, North Carolina, high school sports sensation Troy Alexander. Melody, who's in foster care, hasn't spoken in two years and is court-ordered to attend daily sessions with a therapist. Melody eventually begins to respond through music. In alternating chapters that switch between third- and first-person, Melody tells stories from her past, starting with hunting rattlesnakes with her Cherokee father for her mother's family to handle in church. After Mama dies from a snakebite, Daddy disappears. Melody ends up with a foster family where she's repeatedly raped. At 14 she has semiconsensual sex with a boy who publicly humiliates her, and then, already mute, she's raped again. While Melody endures horrific ordeals, shedding light on the plight of vulnerable young people, the nature of the writing does a disservice to this serious topic. The language used to describe the sexual assaults is likely to be severely triggering to sexual assault survivors. The jumbled timeline requires extraordinary patience from the reader, and the characterization mostly tells, not shows, rendering characters two-dimensional and making the ending overly pat. The musical verses don't convey the strong emotion they're clearly intended to, and elements of mountain folklore and magical realism feel misplaced. The book defaults to white, although Melody's mother and uncle are half-white and half-black, and colorism pervades the story. The Cherokee characters invoke stereotypes around Native mysticism.
Not recommended. (Fiction. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews

"Gardner tackles difficult topics, including bullying and abuse of all types, in a way that is both artistic and respectful. Given these weighty and emotional issues, the book is masterfully written in such a way that it is a pleasure to read." —BookTrib

“Speak No Evil is a touching tribute to the power of love, faith and steadfast, patient kindness to heal the damage done by human cruelty and thoughtlessness.” —IndieReader

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