TW: sexual assault, rape

This verse novel will slice you up. It's visceral, raw, and unique in that it tells a tragically all-too-familiar story about an important figure in the art historical world that many teens might not know of: Artemisia Gentileschi. McCullough interweaves the stories of two famous women (and subsequent subjects of Artemisia's paintings), Susanna and Judith, to craft a distinctly female creative community and network of support during a time when there was none. The stories of these two women are told in prose by Artemisia's mother, who died when the young artist was twelve but whose legacy and strength lives on through Artemisia's dedicated remembrance.

These two stories are expertly interspersed between Artemisia's present-day narrative in verse. I particularly love the interconnectedness of theme and language McCullough creates to link Artemisia's poems; these bridges make the narrative exceptionally readable (in terms of narrative fluidity but not content, since it's rather heavy, especially for women who have experienced sexual assault).

A book about the process of art, of healing from trauma, and of growing up in a world that unrelentingly asserts you're not good enough even as it uses you up.