Jagged Sky

Samantha's mother is killed in a car accident when she's three. She's being raised by her grandparents in Kentucky, when her disturbed father snatches her and takes her to Missouri, where he intends to raise her in the same house he was raised in. Dirk was abused as a child, as was Clyde, his father. He makes Samantha stay downstairs in a dirty cellar, threatening her if she tries to come out. He is abusive, but at 16, the cycle will end. Now, she will face a judge. Everyone, including the prosecuting attorney falls in love with Sam. She undergoes hypnosis and her torturous childhood is revealed to them all. She's diagnosed with split psychosis because Sam reverts back to a child in her grandmother's care while being molested by her deranged dad. She is sentenced to two years in a state run psychological facility and she finds her sanity there. Now, she's on her way home to Kentucky. Jagged Sky is a poignant portrayal of strength and the will to survive a horrendous childhood. She becomes a voice for other kids as an adult and even writes an article which is published. There's a clear blue sky at the end, with Noah, she'll never be afraid or alone again. 

Samantha Comings is the heroine in this story and it opens up with her sitting on the porch step with blood on her hands. The questions come: What happened in this house? What will happen to her? She's just 16. She's been abused and neglected severely for 13 years. She had a friend though, a large stuffed cat she called, Kitty. When Dirk snatched Samantha, she was playing in her big wheel with her real cat Chee Chee. A storm was howling and as she went to the window the sky lit up with jagged lightning streaks. She cried out, but no one heard her. Samantha went to school and was outwardly normal, but at home...she was hiding and on alert from Dirk and his demented behavior. Lucy came into the house and taught Sam about a family and a mother.