Audiobook Review: Saving Noah by Lucinda Berry

Publication date: July 7, 2020
Publisher: Dreamscape Media Audio

Summary:

We forgive murderers, not pedophiles.

Not since Lionel Shriver brought us We Need to Talk About Kevin has a writer delved into the complexities of a disturbed mother/son relationship. Until now.

Meet Noah—an A-honor roll student, award-winning swimmer, and small-town star destined for greatness. There weren’t any signs that something was wrong until the day he confesses to molesting little girls during swim team practice. He’s sentenced to eighteen months in a juvenile sexual rehabilitation center.

His mother, Adrianne, refuses to turn her back on him despite his horrific crimes, but her husband won’t allow Noah back into their home. In a series of shocking and shattering revelations, Adrianne is forced to make the hardest decision of her life. Just how far will she go to protect her son?

Saving Noah challenges everything you think you know about teenage sexual offenders. It will keep you up at night long after you’ve read the last page, questioning beliefs you once thought were true.

Source: Goodreads

Thoughts:

I’m surprised that I haven’t heard more people talking about this book. I’ve found it so very thought provoking and have had several conversations about it with my friends since putting it down. Truly fascinating! I went into this book blind, without even reading the blurb, and I think this made it even more powerful for me.

Noah is 15 years old and he’s a perfect student, excellent swimmer and just generally a teenager with a good start in life. Then one day, he tells his mum that he’s touched a couple of girls at the pool in his role of coach. Noah is sentenced to time in a juvenile sexual rehabilitation centre.

Why did a boy who had so much going for him, end up in this situation?

This book explores the impact these events have on Noah’s family, something I hadn’t put much thought into before reading this book. Noah’s family have their life changed forever when this happens. They are forced to move and Noah’s sister has to change schools, the relationship between his parents is stretched and changed forever. And people generally just hate on the family, all for something that they didn’t actually do themselves.

When Noah comes home, things are even more difficult and his mother, Adrianne, is put in a really tricky situation. The book is told from Adrianne’s perspective, which I liked and really made you question what you would do if your child were to commit such a crime.

This book has challenged everything I’ve ever thought about sexual offenders and I’ve not been able to stop thinking about it since. It’s a difficult subject and something that people tend to put to the back of their minds, but this story brings it to the forefront and leaves you questioning what you always thought to be true.

Although fictional, this book is emotionally intense and there are obviously a lot of trigger warnings with this one, it’s not going to be for everyone. What I like about this book the most is that the author isn’t afraid to tackle this very difficult topic and she does so with sensitivity, whilst still bravely tackling this subject with honesty. I don’t think I’ve ever come out of a book with so much to think about.

Although strange to say because of the topic, I really enjoyed this book and I’m sure it will stick with me for a long time to come.

Overall rating: “Saving Noah” is the most thought-provoking book I’ve ever read, leaving me questioning so many things. A sensitive topic told so very well – 5 stars!

Thanks for reading! What did you think of this book? Let me know in the comments if you’ve read it!
I’ll also be sharing this book on my social profiles, please come by and say hello!