Disclosure: I received this book to review. The post contains affiliate links; opinions shared are 100% mine.
If anyone should be on your side, it’s your mother. She carried you in her own body for months, labored for hours to bring you into the world, and sacrificed to provide you with food and other necessities to keep you alive. Unfortunately for Raven, her mother wasn’t in on that plan.
Empty Cup is not a feel-good book that leaves the reader feeling cozy and happy. It’s sad, raw and unflinching in biting reality. It took me back to a painful time of my adolescence when there were boyfriends coming in and out of my mom’s revolving door. Living close to an army base meant that there were many men who were interested in a pretty woman, and my mom’s search for happiness often led to our discomfort. My aunt took me aside one afternoon and asked if anyone had ever tried to hurt me. Of course not, I answered. With grim-faced honesty, she told me that I could always tell her the truth if something like that ever happened. She also explained how I should handle myself with modesty around all men, something I hadn’t considered before. While I was fortunate (no one ever tried to hurt me), I realize now that abuse could have easily taken place in my home. My mom scoffed and seemed uncomfortable with any discussions of sex, so I don’t think I would have talked to her about it. My aunt gave me the gift of a safety net; she became someone I could trust if there was ever a problem.
In the book Empty Cup, Raven doesn’t have a trustworthy adult to lean on, in the way I trusted my aunt. She suffered abuse at the hands of her mom’s boyfriend and was ultimately betrayed by her insecure, childish mother. Unfortunately, this situation left her homeless and broken. Without a strong system of support, Raven floats around like a leaf in the breeze. There were a few reliable adults in the story, but I was disheartened by the overwhelming disappointment in her life. She just didn’t have a responsible adult to lean on. Empty Cup inspired me to be a teacher upon whom my students can depend for structure, help, and support. If Raven had known an adult she trusted, perhaps things could have been different for her.
I appreciated that Empty Cup dealt with hard topics, yet author Suzanne Costigan kept the story fairly clean and ambiguous. There aren’t gory details tossed around; nor was there an abundance of profanity. Enough is left to the imagination that you probably won’t blush if you read this with your older teen. Empty Cup is short enough to finish within a couple of hours, so it will likely appeal to those who don’t have a lot of available time for reading. Would you like to win a copy of this book? Check out the giveaway below!
Giveaway Information: Winner will be drawn March 27, 2015
· Two (2) winners will received a physical copy of Empty Cup by Suzanne Costigan (US/Canada)
· Five (5) winners will receive a digital copy of Empty Cup by Suzanne Costigan (INT)
EMPTY CUP purchase links: Chapters Indigo | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | TBD | IndieBound
Title: Empty Cup
Publication date: November 3, 2014
Publisher: Rebelight Publishing Inc.
Author: Suzanne Costigan
Mom’s new boyfriend is creepy.
On the night of her seventeenth birthday, Raven finds out he isn’t just creepy, he’s dangerous. He leaves Raven broken and bleeding, but Mom blames her for what happened. She kicks Raven out of the house with nothing but a blanket to protect her from a frigid winter night.
Alone.
Devastated.
Abandoned.
As Raven struggles with the aftermath of the ultimate betrayal, she seeks solace in her imagination and a teacher who seems to understand her situation. She ultimately discovers that her world won’t change if she relies upon someone else to do it. Real change begins within.
“…Sure to prompt reflection and provocative discussions on important issues.”
-Allan Stratton, author of Leslie’s Journal
“Not an easy story, but an important one. Compelling, powerful, and engaging.”
-Eric Walters, author of Power Play.
ABOUT SUZANNE COSTIGAN:
Suzanne Costigan is a child welfare advocate, supporting high risk children in her home, and an active member of the Winnipeg writing community. Empty Cup is her first novel.
Connect with the Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
I appreciate you opening up and giving some of your background to help in this review. It’s a shame that this is still such a big problem. It’s especially a shame when no one steps in to help a kid in that situation, because they are “defenseless” in a sense. Maybe innocent is a better word choice there. Having parents either turn a blind eye or partaking in the abuse itself, those are the people that should be most trustworthy in your life. If they’re abusive, imagine the rest of the world. We had a recent story in the news back where I grew up about a grandmother, a mother, and the mom’s boyfriend sexually abusing the grandkids, tying them up in chains. The adults wore keys to the food in the house around their necks. The kids did online school to hide what was going on. They finally got help because one kid emailed their online teacher. There are just some despicable people out there. Hurting kids or animals is one of the worst things to me.
Would love to check this book out. It sounds like it portrays the situation realistically, but it doesn’t go overboard and become too difficult for readers to stomach. Even though you know there are cases that are worse than in this book, it does seem like a good piece to get a discussion going. Would’ve made for a good read in high school English classes.
Hi Sarah,
Thank you for sharing after reading the review of Empty Cup. You are right, things like this happen far too often in the world. Teaching kids to tell is so important.
Suzanne
Sarah,
You are so right! There are so many children who are defenseless, being hurt by the very people who should be the most protective.
Hello Dede,
Thank you for taking the time to read and review Empty Cup and be a host on the blog tour. I appreciate it very much. I am glad that you had your aunt. 🙂
Suzanne
Thanks for stopping by the blog, Suzanne!
I am intrigued by this book. I look forward to reading more reviews and maybe getting a copy of my own.
Thank you for this great giveaway! I’m excited to read this book 🙂