“Don’t fight what you’re born to be.” He grasps my shoulders. “Stop letting everyone else tell you what’s wrong & right. Stake a claim! You cower when you could conquer. You have so much more power than you’re aware of & quite frankly I’m” – he shakes his head – “fascinated.”

– T. M.

Tahereh Mafi’s Shatter Me follows the life of teenager Juliette who is held captive because of what most deem to be her destructive power: to kill from one touch of her skin. She is contained by the Reestablishment, a government in power during a turbulent time in current society, where animals & food are few & far between. Juliette grows up believing that she is a lethal weapon rather than the gift that she really is, as the reader comes to discover later on. Determined to regain her freedom, Juliette strives to escape in search of a life that she has been too afraid to envisage but has desired it regardless … & ardently so.

Mafi’s writing is addictive as anything, as I found myself blitzing through the pages in one evening; yawn after yawn came but I remained steadfast in reading as much as my eyes could stay awake for!

As for the writing itself, strikethroughs were a prominent feature, illustrating perfectly Juliette’s actual thoughts, like her believing that Adam (not the biggest fan of him, more on that later) is handsome she means dangerous …

… Adam. Juliette’s confidant during her time in captivity. I feel like his & Juliette’s romance – when it does blossom -, though cute, was a bit rushed & not as authentic as I perhaps would have preferred. That may just be me rooting for the underdogs here. I’ll leave it at that because here’s the thing –

*spoilers upon spoilers*

As the story progresses, Juliette finds a stronger inner voice; there are fewer strikethroughs as she is more frequently thinking for herself (for the better), which was a notable demonstration of her character development & overall self-growth. Massive standing ovation worthy moment.

It’s safe to say that this book has left its mark on me, as I turned the final page feeling inspired by the reminder that being oneself in all of its entirety is best. A character like Juliette, who may well suffer as much as she does but then continues to encourage, advocate & motivate is one that will have my heart for a long while.

Sincerely,

Sheeza

✑