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'Several recent examples of teen trauma fiction
from North America and Australia depict teen
protagonists enduring a range of symptoms as
a consequence of trauma experienced earlier in
their lives. Each protagonist is represented as
experiencing his or her own individual trauma,
but they share a similar range of symptoms, such as
disturbed sleep patterns, a lack of control over their
lives, shattered social relationships, indirection
and, at times, a seemingly inexplicable inability
to act. The past is represented as intruding on
the present either in the form of "ghosts" and
memories, or in the form of "memory traces."
Total psychological recovery is presented as being
impossible, although all four protagonists are in
a better mental state at the close of each novel
than they were at the beginning. The protagonist
is assisted by someone outside the family, who
guides them towards recovery and enables them
to strengthen his or her sense of self.' (Author's abstract, 31)
