The Boy & His Ribbon

I want to scream and rage and sob and allow all the indiscernible words and sounds that this book stirred in me loose. But there is no way. No possible way to describe all the feelings, emotions, desire and need this book gave me and then so sharply took away. I am broken. So incredibly, completely broken by the story of Ren and Della. I went into this book with one expectation and as it slowly unfolds, was pretty sure I knew the path it would take. Before I realized it, these characters were going in a whole different direction and I rearranged my predictions and settled in for a different journey. Then wildly, I ended up somewhere I never even imagined I would be. Oh sure, some of it I knew would happen but never did I foresee it unfolding in the manner that it did. Never did I expect these characters to live, dream, struggle and make the decisions that they did. This is one of the most poignant books I’ve read in…well, probably forever! The voice this author gave to both Ren and Della resonated within me and kept me captivated unable to set it aside for even a brief respite. I needed to know what happened next. How did Ren go from one place in his life to the next with such insurmountable odds against him? How does a young child grow up in these conditions? And how does a man make the choices he made and find peace for himself now that the end is here? I could summarize Ren and Della’s story. I could add a tad more than the blurb gives you. And really, it could be done without really spoiling anything. But the truth of the matter is, this book isn’t just about these characters’ story, but about the emotion that comes from living a life outside the norm all while you hold fast to the one that gives you peace even while you struggle for survival. There is no summary that’s going to allow you to understand that this book is more than a story. It’s feeling and thinking and deciphering how each one of us would handle it should we have ever been in Ren and Della’s situation. I didn’t want this story to end and I certainly didn’t want it to end when it did and in the manner that it did. Pepper Winters literally wrenched my heart out of my chest and flung it across the room and there is no possible way for it to be healed and replaced until I get the conclusion to Ren and Della’s story. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided by NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4.75 stars--THE BOY AND HIS RIBBON is the first instalment in Pepper Winters’ dark, contemporary, adult THE RIBBON Duet focusing on the tumultuous life of Della and Ren. WARNING: Due to the story line content, there may be some triggers for more sensitive readers. Told from dual first person points of view (Ren and Della) using present day and memories from the past THE BOY AND HIS RIBBON covers close to eighteen years in the life of Ren, a young boy sold into slavery who makes his escape, at the age of ten, unknowingly carrying the most precious cargo anyone could have imagined. Throughout the story we are up close and personal as a young Ren must forage and battle the elements in order to survive; to protect the child that has become the sister of his heart; and to keep his distance as the two battle their attraction and love for one another as the teenage years and adulthood blossom on the horizon. The reader becomes privy to the emotional and personal fall-out of Della as she struggles to journal her thoughts and memories into a story that reads more like fiction than the truth that is had become. THE BOY AND HIS RIBBON is a heart breaking journey of mind, body and soul. The horrific beginnings for a boy whose childhood is destroyed by abuse and neglect, and for a young girl who has never known anything other than the life she has shared amongst the forest and the stars. Pepper Winters writes a dark, emotional and impassioned tale of one boy, one girl, a blue ribbon, and two souls who struggle to survive against the odds. The premise is unique, controversial and consuming. THE BOY AND HIS RIBBON ends on a cliff hanger (of sorts)-you have been warned.

Please excuse me while I breathe into this paper bag. Hand to God, I’m honestly scared of Pepper Winters [audio]books. When I see the opportunity to ALC her work I never click on it right away. I always have to sit there for at least 24 hours to sike myself up apply for it. And then when I get it, it takes me several days to actually start it. I’m just totally terrified of this woman. And I mean this all in the best possible way. The emotional turmoil she puts me through is indescribable.