***For 15+ due to content. An intelligent and wisely written novel that deals with several difficult topics with sensitivity and understanding. Set in the year 2010 and proving that friendship can cross many boundaries including age, 16 year old Theo meets Anna at the very point in his existence when he believes he has nothing left to live for. Anna’s tale of her life during The Second World War, including her time in the ghetto of Theresienstadt, doesn’t flinch from the atrocities that occurred or her battle for survival. Anna’s simple, matter of fact account to Theo somehow brings her life more starkly into existence and makes her character feel full of vitality and very much alive. A novel for young adults through to grandparents, this is a story that speaks clearly to all. Although the topics are sometimes uncomfortable to read, there is still an undercurrent of hopefulness and optimism that make this a beautifully compassionate read.
When sixteen year old Theo Drew meets Anna Levinsky, a Holocaust survivor, he is barely alive. Cosseting him in her home, Anna cares for Theo while he recovers from extreme emotional trauma in the wake of a family tragedy. Believing he may be responsible for the distressing events that occurred on a bleak, winter's afternoon in his family home, Theo finds solace in the story of Anna's life. Listening to her unfathomable existence, living under the Nazi regime in the ghetto of Theresienstadt, Theo realises that her improbable rescue may also be the key to his own salvation.
Ria Frances grew up in West Sussex in a rowdy, loving family of six with parents who suffered her short stories with practiced tolerance. They inspired her to do many things that she still enjoys today including sailing, swimming and reading. After her second son was born, Ria began writing a book for teenagers called Storm Savers, inspired by happy weekends sailing as a family. Written for private rather than public consumption until friends began to request copies, she then published it as an e-book. Ria began writing Inflicted in secret after her twins were born prematurely and she was suffering with insomnia.
