Author: Alina Klein
Publication date: June 5th, 2012
Publisher: namelos
Rating: 4 stars*
Valerie always wanted to be the smart girl. The pretty girl. The popular girl.
But not the rape girl.
That’s who she is now. Rape Girl. Because everyone seems to think they know the truth about what happened with Adam that day, and they don’t think Valerie’s telling it.
Before, she had a best friend, a crush, and a close-knit family. After, she has a court case, a support group, and a house full of strangers.
The real truth is, nothing will ever be the same.
Rape Girl is the compelling story of a survivor who does the right thing and suffers for it. It is also the story of a young woman’s struggle to find the strength to fight back.
Shell-shocked. Amazed. Appalled. Dumb-founded.
These were all adjectives that described me upon finishing Rape Girl.
Wow. Just...wow.
This is the story of Valerie, the "rape girl," as she's called by the people who don't believe her story. Why is that, you might ask? Because her rapist is an upstanding member of the community, whose dream, I might add, is to become a mormon missionary.Not exactly the sexually deviant type, and because of that, Valerie gets alienated and ridiculed as the girl who cried rape.
First off, I would just like to applaud Alina Klein for not being afraid to be in-your-face about this. I'm not saying this book is very graphic--it's not. However, from the bold title and the synopsis, Klein does not shy away from the sensitive subject about this book. She could have chosen a less-subtle title. But she didn't.
This book grabs your attention and the story keeps you captivated--whether in a good way or a bad way, that's for you to decide.
Rape Girl was very real. There were no false pretenses that rapists are always violent and scary, or that victims always get justice. Klein depicted the situation, the status quo, as it really is, however disappointing that reality might be. This book is an unflinchingly honest account of a horrible crime and it. Is. Worth. Reading.
All in all: This wasn't a light or happy read. But ultimately I am glad I read it because this book tackles a very tough issue, one that happens all too often, with amazing honesty. This isn't a very long book, but it says exactly what needs to be said.
*I received a copy of this book from Netgalley for review purposes. All opinions are my own.
Want to read this now.
ReplyDeleteWow, to be honest, the title of this book kind of intimidated me. It just seems very dark and... disturbing. But you convinced me to give it a second thought, Joie! The author seems to put a lot of thoughts in this book and I really want to read this thought-provoking book right now. Excellent review, hun! :)
ReplyDeleteI really want to read this book. I think it's great that the author decided to write on such a sensitive topic. Isn't this her first book?
ReplyDeleteGreat Review!
I haven't read this one yet, but I've been hearing about it. Thanks for the recommendation! :)
ReplyDeleteThis book looked.. intimidating. I'm glad to hear that the author tackled this heavy subject in a great way. I hear a lot of things about it and I think I will give it a shot. Awesome review :)
ReplyDeleteMel@thedailyprophecy.
I have this on my tbr, and glad that it is real and you've wow'ed it.
ReplyDeleteHappy reading,
Brandi from Blkosiner’s Book Blog
Ohhhh! I want to read this so, so, so bad. I saw it on Netgalley but never requested it for some reason.
ReplyDelete-Danie
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