Most teenage girls are interested in secrets. Whether it’s a friend’s secret, a family secret, a personal secret or even a secret crush, teens understand reasons for secrecy. But what if a secret is harmful, hurtful or even dangerous? What does a teen girl do with a secret that’s big enough to derail her entire life? Bestselling author Melody Carlson answers these real-life tough situations young teenage girls face today in her new fiction book Shattered.
Shattered involves a very disturbing secret—a daughter’s bad choice results in the murder of her mother. When Cleo’s mom says she can’t go into the city to see a Christian concert with friends, Cleo sneaks out anyway. It’s harmless enough, right? Not when your mom goes looking for you and ends up murdered. Cleo is the only one who knows why her mother was in a seedy part of town that night, but she’s determined to keep the secret that’s breaking her heart.
Carlson says the inspiration came in the form of an alarming statistic: “‘Homicide is the second leading cause of death for young adults.’ The reason teens are at risk is primarily twofold. First of all, most teens don’t fully grasp that risky behavior can result in dangerous and perhaps even deadly consequences. Also, most teens underestimate the impact that ‘small’ decisions can have on their lives. Teens don’t like to hear that their brains are ‘not fully developed,’ but it’s a scientific fact. The human brain doesn’t mature in areas such as rational reasoning, impulse control, comprehension of natural consequences until the mid-20s. The danger here is that many teens believe their brain is not only mature, but smarter than many of the adults around them; and this can lead to some really unfortunate choices. As an author, my goal is to help teen readers grasp the long-term ramifications of poorly thought-out decisions as they vicariously experience a character’s dilemma.
By telling the story of a relatively good girl who makes one bad choice that unravels her life, Melody allows the reader to vicariously walk in Chloe’s shoes. The reader witnesses Chloe being dishonest to her mother, then later experiences Chloe’s pain when her mother is murdered as a direct result of the lie. Chloe’s choice to continue hiding the truth only multiplies her problems. The pain and guilt she suffers over her mother’s death is overwhelming. “I’ve discovered that teen readers are much more responsive to novels than nonfiction. For that reason, I encourage youth pastors to create book groups and read some of my issues-driven stories and then go through the reader discussion questions in the back to initiate some valuable and revealing conversations.
“Seemingly ‘small’ bad choices can have enormously bad consequences,” Carlson said. “Not all secrets are good secrets. Even if it’s painful, confession of guilt is a real step toward healing. God can forgive us, restore us, transform us…from even the most negative experience.” Readers will walk with Chloe through her story of grief, guilt, faith and forgiveness.”
Shattered is the second book in the Secrets Series, all somewhat edgy and serious; but Carlson says that’s because so many teens are drawn to the difficult places. “Unfortunately adolescents don’t understand the very real danger that lies in such places. I would rather my readers visit these scenes with the safety net of fiction fully in place. I hope my readers learn vicariously through my characters, and as a result make smarter, healthier, safer life choices. According to the fan mail I receive daily, it’s working.”
