Elephant

Natalie Rodriguez

Extraordinary Pictures LLC, Apr 10, 2020 - Fiction - 312 pages

When was the last time you were shut down for experiencing a mental health struggle or feeling unheard by others, including those closest to you?

Summer of 2006. Four childhood best friends. A family secret.

After a strange encounter leaves him hospitalized, a timid teenage boy named Matt "Matty" Smith comes home to a continuous series of events met with anxiety, depression, and PTSD.

Under the guardianship of his grandma, Lucia, Matt lives with unspoken questions about his grandfather and parents. The elephant in the room. As Matt develops over the summer, the secrets only grow more profound and complex. Will the answers ever come? While searching for answers, Matt and his three childhood best friends encounter the meanings of love, forgiveness, and fate.

This story is for those who feel their voice is unheard and for children, teenagers, and the adult who never had the chance to heal from their pain.

If you would like to tell us your story, be sure to message us at @elephant_bookya on Instagram or tweet us at @Ebookya, using the hashtag #TheElephantInMyRoom

What people are saying

User Review -

First off, thanks to Booktasters for putting me through to the author.
Now the review.
When I think of books on mental health, I usually think of self-help books. Elephant is not. It's a story. And it's a good one.
It follows a boy, Matty, who deals with some trauma caused by an event that he can't seem to remember. The good part is that he has the help of his grandmother and friends who, in their way, help him cope with what he's dealing with. The way this book tackles mental health is really good.
The storytelling is great in that it keeps you flipping the pages to find out what's next. The characters are well-written. The way important issues are highlighted and weaved into the story is seamless. And the ending... oh my gosh. Brilliant. I hate it but I love it.
Natalie Rodriguez is a genius. This book is awesome. 

User Review -

Elephant is a Young Adult Fiction written by the author Natalie Rodriguez. The story is about a woman Lucia Smith and her grandson Matthew Jimmy Smith. Matthew was also known as Matt or Matty. Matty was suffering from trauma which resulted in PTSD. There was so much void in his life and mind that needs to be filled by someone.
As I read the story further, I saw the impact of some tragic life incidents on Matty's life as he ended up being admitted to a hospital.
The ending paragraph of the first book will make you shiver and will make you think how this could happen. Reading this book was a rollercoaster ride for me.
I really appreciate the storyline. If a movie could be made on this story, it would be even more amazing for the children. I would like to recommend this book to children, teenagers and adult who have went through so much in their life and is not yet healed from their pain. I am looking forward for the next book from the author.
Rated: 4.5/5
NONY 

Bibliographic information

• Title: Elephant
• Author: Natalie Rodriguez
• Publisher: Extraordinary Pictures LLC, 2020
• ISBN: 0578645629, 9780578645629
• Length: 312 pages
• Subjects: Fiction / General; Psychology / General; Young Adult Fiction / General