Sound is an abstract concept for most people. We spend our lives blocking out the static in order to focus on what we believe is important. But what if, when the clarity fades into silence, it’s the obscure background noise that you would give anything to hold on to?
I’ve always been a fighter. With parents who barely managed to stay out of jail and two little brothers who narrowly avoided … narrowly avoided foster care, I became skilled at dodging the punches life threw at me. Growing up, I didn’t have anything I could call my own, but from the moment I met Eliza Reynolds, she was always mine. I became utterly addicted to her and the escape from reality we provided each other. Throughout the years, she had boyfriends and I had girlfriends, but there wasn’t a single night that I didn’t hear her voice.
You see, meeting the love of my life at age thirteen was never part of my plan. However, neither was gradually going deaf at the age of twenty-one.
They both happened anyway.
Now, I’m on the ropes during the toughest battles of my life.
Fighting for my career.
Fighting the impending silence.
Fighting for her.
Every night, just before falling asleep, she sighs as a final conscious breath leaves her.
I think that’s the sound I’ll miss the most.
Each book in this series can be read as a standalone.
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The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
Since he was born, Till Page has had to fight – fight the silence, the loneliness, the bitterness, and the hatred for his situation, and since he was thirteen years old, he’s fought the reality of his circumstances by escaping it, by entering a fantasy world where everything’s okay as long as he has Eliza Reynolds – his Doodle by his side, blocking everything else out.
Like Till, Eliza’s home life is absolute shit. She’s not even a blimp on her parents’ radar, so she does what she has to do to make a life for herself both in and outside the fantasy that she created with Till. Through everything, Eliza has always been Till’s biggest supporter – the one person in his corner he can count on regardless of the shitstorm life throws at them.
But all fantasies eventually come to an end, and when reality merges with the world that Till’s created with Eliza and threatens to unhinge his sense of survival, he rebels, fighting against the one thing…the one person who he should never battle with because in doing so, he risks losing his whole reason for fighting and usurping any chance he has to overcome the obstacles that he and his brothers face.
As much as I wanted to yell at Till to wake up and face his reality head on, it makes perfect sense why he needs and uses that window and that abandoned apartment as an escape and why he needed to keep Eliza separate from any other aspect of his life. Till is a proud man doing everything he can to deal with the hand he and his brothers have been dealt. But what he doesn’t realize until much later is that Eliza sustains him in a way that makes his life bearable despite the hell that he goes through. I love that Aly truly makes readers understand Till’s conflict and torment…the anguish he feels when he pushes Eliza away and the aching need he feels every day without her. Till is an incredible hero; he steps up not only for himself and Eliza, but he also does it for his brothers. He could have given up on numerous occasions, and no one would have blamed him. But the true character of a fighter is one who fights despite all the odds stacked up against him, and Till lives and breathes those characteristics.
I read and review a lot of stories, and what separates the good ones from the great ones is the heroine. Eliza has the true heart of a fighter, and she’ll fight for what she believes in until the bitter end, even when the person she’s fighting for becomes part of the battle. Eliza is extremely selfless, but she also doesn’t allow anyone to abuse her. She knows everything there is to know about Till and she gives herself to him completely, but unlike Till, she understands the reality of the situation as well, and she refuses to be used for an escape because she demands and deserves the reality of their love.
I absolutely loved Till and Eliza’s story, and the fact that it spans over a decade. What they fight through both together and as individuals proves the inner strength that people have, even when they’re sick of fighting. Till and Eliza are fantastic main characters, but what also makes Fighting Silence an amazing read are the secondary characters that surround Till and Eliza’s lives. They are just as pivotal to the success of the text as Till and Eliza because they add an extra layer to the plot and the relationships that exist in it. The ending is bittersweet for me because of the complications that arise at the end, but the idea of never giving up is definitely at the forefront of this text.
I would totally be up for a book or two about the other Page boys – there’s so much to say about Flint and Quarry and who they are that I would be the first in line to one-click their texts.
A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
5 poison apples (The Fairest of All Book Reviews)
Have I told you how much I LOVE Aly Martinez? If not, I LOVE her! She has once again written a beautiful novel about a character that has left an imprint on my soul. I fell in love with Till Page and YOU will too! Her Wrecked & Ruined series is one of my favorite series, and I have now added Fighting Silence to my list of MUST reads! Aly’s writing always has humor, passion, and suspense. The connection created with her characters is always my favorite part of her books. You feel their every emotion as if you were right there with them!
Till Page…I loved this man! He had the biggest heart. With a criminal father and a useless mother, Till carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. More concerned for his two little brothers than himself, Till did everything he could to put food in their bellies and a roof over their heads. Unfortunately, when Till gets devastating news, all of his dreams for the future come crashing down around him. Seeking refuge from an inevitable destiny, Till finds himself face to face with his true salvation, Eliza Reynolds.
“I’d never had anything I could call my own, but Eliza Reynolds would always be mine”. ~Till
Despite growing up in a loveless household, Eliza had a heart of gold. She loved with all her soul. When Till Page climbed through the window of an abandoned apartment that Eliza found solace in, she new the moment their eyes locked, that her heart would always belong to him. With a friendship built on trust and respect, their relationship grew into so much more than either one of them could have imagined.
“He was the only thing that I’d ever had that I honestly thought I couldn’t live without. Till Page was my soul-mate on every level. ~Eliza
This was such a beautiful, emotional love story. The strength of these characters moved me. Through thick and thin, together, they survived one devastating event after another. I loved the Page boys. Their love and loyalty to each other melted my heart. The tie that bound them all as a family was intricately woven throughout the entire novel. Aly Martinez has knocked it out of the ring with this first book in the On The Ropes series. I cannot wait for book 2. I hope it’s Flint’s story!!!
“With one sentence and two steps, forever began”. ~Eliza
Review by Lys