The Second Trial is the story of a family torn apart by one abusive individual. Author Rosemarie Boll deftly describes the years of abuse Danny's mother suffered in silence. Her prose begins to explain the mystery of why abused women continue to live in physical and emotional turmoil instead of packing up and leaving it behind. Boll uses her own professional knowledge of similar circumstances to illustrate the fear, the anger, and the eventual acceptance of how life is changed for families like Danny's. Readers should appreciate the honest, straight-forward approach in which this novel is presented.
Reading Junky's Reading Roost blog
This is a great story of upheaval and change, as well as the conflict a young person feels when his life is abruptly changed and he feels like he has lost control. Recommended.
Several teen novels have dealt with the shattering and long-term effects of domestic violence, but Rosemarie Boll's The Second Trial is distinctive in that the author has an intricate understanding of the Canadian legal system and the means by which domestic violence charges are dealt with in court. As a result, the novel has an added element of authenticity that contributes to its representation of domestic violence's effects. These effects are not only the physical scars that result from the moment of domestic violence, but also the psychological, economic, and social effects that they leave on victims, their families, and communities. As Boll's novel shows, the addressing of domestic violence in court is, in itself, insufficient as a resolution. Instead, it is what occurs after the trial that is more crucial in terms of rehabilitating the lives of those affected. 3 out of 4 stars.
Rosemarie Boll gives the reader insight into family violence and how the legal system and social services strive to cope with the intensely emotional fallout of shattered relationships. We see the impact this has on children when their need to be kept safe is compromised by those who love them. It is easy to become engaged with the characters and their story.
Presents domestic violence victims as empowered individuals who can extricate themselves from desperate circumstances in order to forge new lives. At the same time, it gives a sobering portrait and reminder that domestic violence is something that cannot be resolved in isolation, but rather something that requires assistance from the entire community.
CM Magazine: Canadian Review of Materials
Boll deftly portrays how Danny has begun to internalize his father's misogyny and aggression toward the female members of his family.
Author Rosemary Boll is a lawyer and her background in family law shows in this well-informed and uncomprimising novel. This kind of story is often not presented in such ordinary surroundings and I admire the author’s choice of everyday realism.
Author Rosemarie Boll's first novel describes, in often harrowing detail, the devastating effects that spousal abuse can have on a family. Danny is a sympathetic character and his reactions to the drastic changes in his life are believable for a young teen. This is not a fast-paced plot and there is no dramatic final confrontation with the father, but a sense of suspense is sustained throughout as the reader waits to discover if Danny can make the right decision and accept his new life.
Canadian Children's Booknews
Danny is by turns hostile, frightened, childish, sophisticated—in other words a real boy. Recommended.
The Second Trial” is a read of a child finding it hard to adapt to a new world, which many young readers may find relation to. Highly recommended.
"Danny is a sympathetic character and reactions to the drastic changes in his life are believable for a young teen...Suspense is sustained throughout as the reader waits to discover if Danny can make the right decision and accept his new life."
Canadian Children's Book News
Gr 5–9—Thirteen-year-old Danny sits sullenly in a Canadian courtroom as the details of his father's trial unfold. Readers learn how the man has brutalized his wife for years. Danny doesn't believe it; his father has always been great with him. His mother's lawyer warns that her life is in danger, and after his father gets a light sentence, they are barreling toward some sort of victim-protection program. Suddenly he is packing and saying good-bye to his grandparents forever. His younger sister and his mother try to tell him that they were telling the truth, and that this is the only way. But Danny has plans of his own. He'll wait until Christmas, and then he'll call his dad and things can get back to normal. When they get to their new home with their new identities, the boy's attitude gets steadily worse as he falls in with the wrong crowd and starts shoplifting, ditching school, and smoking. This story is beautifully told, and readers will be pulled along with Danny as he slowly comes to face reality and his own demons. With most of the graphic violence offstage, this story is sensitive enough for younger readers to handle, yet the characters seem so real.—Jake Pettit, Thompson Valley High School, Loveland, CO
