4 out of 4 stars
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Ink is a memorable and touching story written by Zita Harrison.
Told in the third person perspective, the story begins with Audrey Spencer giving birth to a baby boy with a hideous birthmark covering half of his face. Audrey, an artist and a loving mother that she is, named him Ink. Her husband, Derek, however, does not share his wife’s felicity over the new addition to their family and sees only the baby as an abomination and, right then and there, starts to shirk from the responsibility of raising such a freak of nature.
Because of his enormous birthmark, Ink receives various treatments from everyone, from curiosity, to pity, to disgust and to downright hostility. He is gawked at, laughed at, sneered at, shunned and bullied. His initial indifference is eventually replaced by belligerence. His frustration over his deformity leads to acrimony which pushes people away, leaving him friendless, alone and angry with everyone and everything.
After an unfortunate incident that leaves him even more emotionally scarred than he already is, Ink decides to go away and attend Art school. There, he finally feels, if not totally accepted, at least not rejected. When a billionaire approaches him to be a model for his clothing line, Ink’s life takes a different turn. Still, all the world sees in Ink is his birthmark. It seems like there is nothing more to him than a glaring unconventional stain on his face, until he discovers another human being who suffers the same fate as his. Ink finally finds a friend who knows his pain and insecurities and he feels happy and grateful for his friendship. Unbeknownst to Ink, a poor but beautiful dancer from Paraguay endures the same discrimination and disrespect from other people but for a completely different reason, and when they meet, Ink feels something he has never felt before.
If I were to describe this book in one word, it would be intense, and I like every part of it. The author successfully brought forth an old but gnawing issue of discrimination and the ugly truth that everybody judges everybody in an attempt to overcome his/her own fears and insecurities, like how Ink was singled out by the other students because of his birthmark and how he, in turn, thought less of them because they were stupid. It shows how someone looks at someone else’s inadequacy to make him feel better about himself. In addition, the author wrote in a way that makes the reader identify with the characters and feel guilty for being pretentious and self-righteous. The character that, for me, stood out among the rest was Audrey. She was the epitome of a mother, patient, loving, understanding, compassionate, self-sacrificing, and most of all, present. She was always there for Ink, making him feel better, standing up for him, accepting him even in his most unacceptable behavior, and letting him go to find his place in the word.
I, therefore, give this book the rate of 4 out of 4 stars. I recommend it to readers who enjoy stories about self-acceptance and rising above adversity.
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Ink
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