Cheryl Rainfield knows young readers have stolen her books from libraries—and she understands why

Any reader is likely to agree that books can be a lifeline for those who feel lost, lonely, or isolated. We often contextualize this point in terms of identities like sexual orientation, gender, and race, all of which are, of course, valid and make sense. Books can also be a salve for folks living with underdiscussed and misunderstood mental health struggles—even, and personally especially for, young readers.

One such example comes to us from Cheryl Rainfield, a nonbinary lesbian writer based in Toronto, Canada, whose Young Adult thriller novel Scars tackles some seriously heavy—and seriously important—mental health issues. Rainfield, who uses she/they pronouns, has created a masterful, original, and all too necessary fictional world through which to explore trauma, childhood sexual abuse, self-harm, queerness, and how adolescents try to stay alive and save themselves in a world where adult abusers all too often carry all the power with none of the accountability. 

Rainfield’s novel has come under fire many, many times, often facing accusations of “inappropriate” content because of its discussions of sexual abuse and incest. Some folks have also opposed the text for its portrayals and discussions of self-harm, following a similar vein of attack against books that, for example, discuss eating disorders or underage substance abuse. But Rainfield knows from her own experiences, and from hearing from readers even after years after her book went out of print, that these stories are as necessary as ever. 

(This book and interview discuss themes that might be triggering for readers; please tread carefully.)

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