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Reviewed by Viga Boland for Readers' Favorite
“You can’t bury your pain successfully although you might convince yourself that you have. There will always be a reckoning.” That bit of wisdom was shared with Asha, the young adult protagonist of I Touched the Moon: A Tale of Abduction and Redemption by Sila Long, and encapsulates the theme of this engrossing novel. It’s a message that all victims of child sexual abuse need to hear, but it’s one of the most difficult realities to face. If there is one positive that resulted from the #MeToo movement, it’s that more victims found their voices and spoke up, as Asha finally does in this story. But while speaking out fosters awareness, is it enough? If like Asha you live in a country like Nigeria where the trafficking of young children is rampant, the answer is “no”. That’s why important books like this must be written and read. In an excellent blend of fact and fiction, Long tells us the story of the fictional Asha who was abducted into sexual slavery after a night of door-to-door shooting, hacking, and raping in her village of Zamfara – an actual event in 2011. After 5 years of suffering, Asha manages to escape and bit by bit, thanks to her natural intelligence and some good luck, turned her misfortune into fortune.
Though at times Asha’s story of surviving and ultimately thriving seems Cinderella-like, it’s no fairytale. But you can’t come away from the novel without thinking about how one can find the strength to turn adversity into opportunity. As Asha learns, it begins by accepting that what happened isn’t your fault and by talking about it with those who love and care for you. It culminates in learning to love yourself enough to say, “I can do this!” Sila Long’s unique fact/fiction novel offers hope to victims of abuse. Asha’s story is excellently delivered through an ever-evolving plot, generously paced through lots of dialogue, and peppered with a large cast of interesting, realistic characters. Of these, the most intriguing and puzzling is Miobe Timbe. It will take till the end of the story to decide whether he is good or bad, or simply another human being like Asha, needing redemption. Whether you’re a victim of abuse or someone who is appalled by trafficking, don’t think twice about selecting I Touched the Moon as your next read. You won’t regret it or forget it.
