Broken melody by Trudy Adams

Wombat Books, 2013. ISBN 9781922074911
(Age: 13+) Broken melody is the first person recount of a 17yr old's physical, emotional and psychological abuse at the hands of her foster parents. While friends and teachers commiserate and boost Danae's self-esteem, conversely, her foster parents are really villains and her foster siblings also damaged.
Danae Blackburn, the narrator and main character learns to play the piano exceptionally well with little instruction and an almost total absence of self-esteem.
The healing power of music and Danae's newfound religious faith sustain her through a great many complications in her bid to win a national music competition. The plot has sufficient twists and turns although they are entirely predictable and when combined with the didactic narration, events unfortunately contribute to our overall disbelief. The janus-faced foster parents are complex and believable, but the novel itself fails to haunt us.
Young Adult readers will ultimately decide whether Broken melody aligns with Trudy Adam's intention as expressed on her Christian publisher's website, 'I wanted to explore the battlefield that takes place in a person's mind when they have been consistently told they are 'nothing' or 'worthless'. Having worked with young people for almost four years, I also wanted to create a story that was relevant to the current generation.'
Deborah Robins