The Voice is the story of Audrey, a senior in high school who has just experienced an extremely traumatic ordeal, one which she is not sure she will ever truly recover from. She was kidnapped and held for two months by her sadistic uncle Bill. After her rescue, she returns home to Pittsburgh but she finds that there are just too many bad memories which she cannot escape from. Her family, wanting to protect her, have Audrey feeling smothered and anxious. It is decided that she should go and stay with her Aunt Kate in San Diego for awhile to try and regain her equilibrium.
Audrey finds living with her Aunt Kate a refreshing change and she slowly beings to heal. Going under an assumed name so people will not recognise her as the young victim who was so brutalised, she enrolls at the local high school where her aunt works as a teacher. She also meets her neighbours, the twins Caleb and Justin, seniors like her, who play a major part in her recovery. Caleb, the friendlier of the two, treats her like a sister but she is drawn to Justin, the quiet twin who virtually ignores her. What is Justin's secret and how will this affect Audrey's recovery?
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, although there were many dark elements which were disturbing, especially for a ya novel. The issues that are tackled in this story are always treated seriously though and despite the darkness there is an even greater element of hope. For all that Audrey is suffered through, she gets stronger every day. Although there are many people surrounding her helping her through her recovery process, the strength that she finds within herself is what truly ends up saving her.
This was a really strong debut from Jennifer Anne Davis. Audrey was a great main character and I loved the twins (especially Justin) and Aunt Kate. The story was dark, but although elements such as rape and abuse were touched upon, the focus was more on Audrey's journey to recovery.
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