Carny Girl

Carny Girl is the story of Alison an eighteen year old girl who grew up on a horse farm. When her father was killed in an accident her mother experienced severe depression on top of long standing psychological problems. Her solution was to marry a controlling man who'd make all the decisions. His sexual assault of Alison was not an issue her mother wanted to deal with. Alison ran from an abusive family relationship because she believed that in trying to protect herself she killed her step-father. Thinking quickly she joined a traveling carnival using false identification and adjusted to the life of a carnival worker. The final night of the forest Festival in Manitou Alison was clobbered over the head and left for dead in a dumpster. When found by a bottle hunter she was initially thought to be dead. A fast acting police officer realized she was alive and called for medical help.A case of this nature drew the attention of The Manitou Police Chief who visited her in the hospital. Chief Parker knew almost immediately that she was running from something or someone. At eighteen years of age running away isn't a crime but he could tell she needed help. The chief upon learning that Alison loved horses contacted the James family. Mona James is a high school teacher and Brandon James a Conservation Officer, but they also have a small ranch and their ranch hand had recently left their employment.The James Family invited Alison for a tour of their ranch and offered her a job. The decision to work for the James family was the start of many life changes for Alison. She adjusted well to Manitou and became close friends with the James children who were also young adults. Alison realized the risk of becoming too close to this family yet Mona James wouldn't let her keep up the protective barriers. Mona pushed her to achieve in school and at a secondary job in a veterinary office. Manitou is a close knit community and it wasn't unusual for the families to get together. The James Ranch was a frequent gathering spot and the police chief was often a guest. Alison feared he would learn of her past. As she became close to the James children she shared her traumatic history and as was their wish they kept her secret. The on-going story deals with Alison's developing relationships including falling in love. Her new life all comes crashing down when she overhears a conversation about her that causes her to run again. Alison learned a lot from her first running episode and used some clever techniques to stay out of sight. At the same time the James family and her many Manitou friends joined in the search but they were unsuccessful. Mona James feared she was going to permanently disappear this time, but through perseverance finally located her.Alison was emotionally crushed because for the first time in her life she felt the love of friends and yet the fact she had to run from Manitou was devastating. Finding Alison was Mona James obsession and then helping Alison deal with the tragedy of her family life was her gift to Alison. There are many twists and turns in this story. Just when you think you have the answer something else happens. It's easy to fall in love with the strong, loving characters you meet throughout the book and the ending is very special. If you like stories about people overcoming adversity, starting over in life and finding ways to improve all the while finding love then this is the book for you