What adversity did Marina go through and how did she overcome it?

Although fictionalized, So Much to Tell You is modeled on a real story. We meet a 14 year old girl named Marina through her diary. Her face has been scarred by her father who attempted to throw acid onto Marina's mother, but missed and hit Marina instead. When she refuses to tell the truth about what happened to her, she finds herself institutionalized at Warrington, a boarding school for girls. But even at Warrington, she will not speak.

Then one day, Mr. Lindell, Marina's new English teacher, asks the entire class to try keeping a journal. Marina resents the idea, but simply can't resist the allure of writing. She starts by telling obscure, minor details about her life, but eventually, she clarifies her story and gains the bravery to write about the terrible things that have happened to her.

At the same time, she tells us through the diary that she's starting to open up to people, and she even has some friends, even though she can't muster the bravery to just speak to people. Eventually, she forgives her father, and tries to reunite with him again. She speaks her first words in the entire novel to her father: "Hello, Dad... I've got so much to tell you."