VBT# Two Thousand Lines - Michelle Jester

Review: Two Thousand Lines - Michelle Jester - November 2019

For those who have read Michelle Jesters's previous titles like myself, The Funeral Flower and Love,Cutter will understand that her books are quite edgy and feature topics that can trigger memories for most. Two Thousand Lines as someone asked me on Instagram what genre I would put it as- my answer was: Edgy YA fiction. The title Two Thousand Lines stems from one of the punishments that our main character Olivia had to endure from the hand of her stepfather, Mr. Melvin. He liked doing everything in two thousand and from a young age, we see him punishing Olivia and at moments throughout the book, we read as she is subjected to his abuse mentally and physically. The book has flashbacks from Olivia as young as seven-eight and goes up to the present in her adulthood. Olivia is now training to be a vets assistant and after the death of her next-door neighbor Maureen. Her grandson Luke has moved in. He has heard all about Olivia from his grandmother's letters but there are some parts that the letters did not paint. Luke just wants to be her friend and maybe something more, but in order to do that Olivia still needs time to heal as she's not quite there yet. During this book, there are quite a few emotional parts that will have your eyes tearing up and not just for Olivia but also one of the minor characters Mary Margaret who became a favorite of mine.  At times, this book can get a little confusing but Michelle Jester has tried her best to have a continuous flow between the past and the present which happens right throughout the story. I have to admit the ending at the institution/hospital really frustrated me and made me angry as I felt Olivia had been cheated by not just one parent but both in different circumstances but still cheated. If you enjoy reading edgy YA and looking for a new author to discover, then check out Michelle Jester's Two Thousand Lines today.