I needed to take some time off and set my mind right before I could write this book a review. I have never till now in my life felt so uncomfortable while reading a book. The book is about a rape victim, and yes, it is also only a fictional story. But, that doesn't meant you can't trace the story back to the roots of reality from which it has been penned down.
Stay warned, the writing is not very good. Editing is pathetic too in a couple of places. But, in this particular book, the aforementioned publishing rules take a backseat and the story dominates you. Emma, the protagonist, is one of the most beautiful girls in a small Irish town. Almost all the guys have their eye on her, and she even enjoys the attention; until that fateful day. Overcome with jealousy during one of the party nights, and wanting the guys in the room to take note of her, she pushes herself to do the extreme. The next morning, she wakes up a rape victim, not remembering a single detail. Raped by not just one, but 3-4 guys. In this book, the author captures something even more worse than the devastating incident: The Life After. Not just the life of Emma, but the rape-accused, Emma's parents, friends, media, and the whole town. It's soul-wrenching.
I winced at a lot of places in the book, not just after the rape but even before it. The jealousy that Emma feels when she sees girls who are prettier than her - even for friends she calls her own. The disgusting way in which she pines for attention, deciding that glamour is the only way to achieve it. The casual (read: Hateful) attitude with which she flaunts her body to catch eyes, and break hearts. Her character sketch is so revolting that 30-40 pages into the book, you are already hating Emma. The author has done this precisely to push us readers into a state of confusion, to question our own conscience. After all, Emma is a self-indulgent detestable creature. It's quite easy to close your mind and tell everyone that she had it coming. But, did she really? Answering this Q would be so easy if the girl had been one of those innocent dolls. On the other hand, which side will you take when it's a girl like Emma? Will you have what it takes to broaden your perspective, see above the characters of people involved, and regard the whole nature of rape? Think about it.
Anyway, the rape came soon after and I began wincing even more :( Throughout the book, the only comfort I could offer my conscience was that this is just fiction. But, you know the truth is there; right there, glaring at you. This is not just about Emma; this is about the number of lives that a single incident has the power to destroy. Here and there, the author casually slips in a number of "what ifs" which, had they happened, the rape would become non-existent and life would be the sweet sameness for Emma and others. My takeaway were those "what ifs".
The book is a ghost, and it will haunt you.
Note: This book only tries to bring out the partying culture which leads to slut-shaming, the girl supposedly asking for it, forced consent and eventually to rape. The author has chosen this specific setting because she claims that one out of three rapes occur when the girl is drunk (Not sure about the larger population against which this statistic is based.)
