The Merciful Scar

Kirsten has spent her life trying to forget. But mercy begs her to remember. When she was in high school, a terrible accident fractured her family, and the only relief Kirsten could find was carving tiny lines into her skin, burying her pain in her flesh. The pain she caused herself was neat and manageable compared to the emotional pain that raged inside. She was coping. Or so she thought. But then, eight years later, on the night she expects her long-time boyfriend to propose, Kirsten learns hes been secretly seeing her best friend. Desperate to escape her feelings, she reaches for the one thing that gives her a sense of control in the midst of chaos. But this time the cut isnt so tiny, and it lands her in the psych hospital. Within hours of being there she knows she cant stayshe isnt crazy, after all. But she cant go back to the life she knew before either. So when her pastor mentions a treatment program on a working ranch, Kirsten decides to take him up on the offer and get away from [...]it all. But the one thing she cant escape is herselfand her shame. The ranch is home to a motley crew, each with a lesson to teach. Ever so slowly, Kirsten opens herself to embrace healingeven the scarred places that hurt the most. Mercy begs her to remember the past . . . showing her theres nothing that cannot be redeemed. [St. James and Rue] tackle a tough topic with sensitivity and forthrightness in an intense novel about self-injury, self-esteem, and the numerous shades of love. Highly recommended. Library Journal, starred review