Victoria Namkung

This book pissed me off. Not because it was bad, but because it accurately represented rape culture. Almost every aspect of rape culture, every aspect that has been called out in the #metoo movement, is here. And it's maddening. Halfway through the book, I had to stop reading and go paint a wall (I'm in the middle of painting my house, so it wasn't completely random) because I was so angry.

The characters are unique and relatable. The story was compelling and tragic and painful. The ending hit me with a gut punch.

The only thing I didn't like was the court scene which was too procedural in my view. But this book was such a worthwhile read. Namkung is an author I'll definitely keep an eye on.… (mehr)

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when going into this book. I loved the cover and when I skimmed the blurb, it definitely seemed like something up my alley. While the book had several positive points, it was overall underwhelming for me and kind of fell in the middle of the road as far as enjoyment went.

Overall, the message in the book was great. It was extremely supportive of survivors from all over the spectrum. I also like how all of the survivors were their own people, they had different experiences, different histories, and different reactions. I felt like the writing itself could have used some more work. I didn’t feel emotionally connected to any of the characters, and so the book wasn’t as hard-hitting for me as it should have been.

I wouldn’t steer anyone away from this book if they’re interested, but I also don’t see myself recommending it to anyone. I feel like there are better portrayals of assault survivors out there to read.… (mehr)

I had recently read a book that dealt with domestic abuse and had not been too happy with the way the author had handled that subject matter. This author did not have that same problem. I felt that the issue of sexual abuse and abuse of power by authority figures was handled delicately and maturely. The story revolved around a former student who was interning at a newspaper and decided to share her incident through the news. This later led an investigative journalist, who was this student's mentor, to help track down other women who had faced similar issues with this same teacher. The author really showed what investigative journalism is like. I also liked that the author did not shy away from difficult aspects of abuse. The story was also very real about the physical and mental damage that comes with abuse, as well as the negativity that comes when people accuse someone of perpetrating the abuse. It was very insightful. I will say that I don't think this was really a story. From the way it was written to the actual events that were happening in the story, it felt more like a nonfiction book, which may throw off some readers. Either way, kudos to the author for doing a good job in chronicling sexual abuse in schools. I'm giving this a solid 3/5 stars.

I received this novel as an advance copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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