Tina Lauren is eighteen years old. On the surface she is bright and happy but inside she is deeply affected by abuse she suffered as a child. She can’t stand to look at her body, is prone to self harm as a coping mechanism and cannot say certain words without stammering. During a very public high school event she is touched against her wishes by Nicholas Parker, a popular and influential older student from a wealthy background. When she speaks out, Parker pledges to get his revenge and embarks on a campaign of harassment, bullying and physical assault. A fabricated video showing her seeming to have sex with Parker is publicly shown at her graduation ceremony. Later, at college, her locker is filled with hate notes calling her a slut and a lying bitch. Parker continues to torment her, escalating his attacks using a network of allies, some of which Tina had believed to be her friends. As things reach crisis point Tina is emboldened by the help of her therapist, a close group of friends and the realization of her own inner strength. After another vicious attack by Parker she vows that she is “neither pathetic nor prey” and that she will fight back.
UNCLUTTER (A Survivor’s Story), the debut novel by Winnie D Pagora is a story of abuse, survival and recovery inspired by the #meToo and #timesUp movements. Alongside the sexual abuse that the main character endures the novel also tackles a number of contemporary issues including revenge porn, trial by social media and the gaslighting of victims by people in positions of power. For the most part Pagora handles her material with skill. The central character is well drawn and her insecurities, highlighted by her raw inner monologue, are believable and affecting. Though the story is harrowing, Pagora does include welcome moments of light and hope, not least a burgeoning romance that demonstrates that non toxic relationships are possible. There are a few moments where the author perhaps stretches credibility to accentuate the suffering of her lead. Would a school principal really show no sympathy or duty of care and verbally attack one of her own pupils if a pornographic video in which they are alleged to be featured in was projected in a school hall? When Tina asks for a gown to hide her modesty as she is about to be examined for evidence of assault at a health center, would anybody working there really say, “Now you want to cover up? What’s the use? If you had done so earlier, you wouldn’t be in this situation in the first place.” Of course incidents like these may well happen, but in the context of this imagined story they seem a needlessly cruel addition that hint at implausibility where so much of Pagora’s writing is rooted in the real. And it is wise to remember that this is a fictionalized story and that as such the writer is in total control of the truth of it, how it flows, its modulations, its rhythm. Edging towards 100,000 words, UNCLUTTER seems rather too long and loses some of its impact with a few quite repetitive sequences that neither further illuminate the already convincing protagonist nor add anything to the ongoing drama of her situation that Pagora is utilizing for novelistic purposes. Though never wholly unengaging, there are passages that seem unnecessary, needless padding that stops the book from being truly gripping. The sharpness that Pagora brings to much of her story rather dulled overall by just too many pages.
Though frequently dark and harrowing, debut novelist Winnie D Pagora’s UNCLUTTER (A Survivor’s Story) is an effective and affecting YA novel that tackles difficult subjects with nuance and skill.
~Kent Lane for IndieReader