Select language, opens an overlay

Comment

Community comment are the opinions of contributing users. These comment do not represent the opinions of Vancouver Public Library.
May 28, 2020librarianjessica rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
I had very high expectations of this one, and sadly, I didn't feel that it lived up to them. This is a good book, and an important one, but I didn't connect with it for a few reasons. No matter my personal thoughts on it, though, I think that this book needs to be in the world. It's told from the perspective of Mara, whose twin brother, Owen, is accused of rape. The girl who accuses him, Hannah, is Mara's friend, leaving her with a massive ethical dilemma that involves her family, her friends, and her own values. Who should she believe? I've never read a book from the perspective of someone affected by an ordeal like this. I did find myself seeing through Mara's eyes, wondering what she would choose, wondering what was going to come to light and how it was going to affect her. But then...nothing really did. Mara made the decision that I would hope we would all make, but as she discovered her own belief, she grated on my nerves so badly. Her actions towards Charlie (who, btw, is working her way towards coming out as non-binary, and who likes girls, and who, in general, should've been a snowflake and my favourite character - and who decidedly wasn't, but anyways, more on that later) made me want to yell. I completely understand her frustration, her sequestered feelings of powerlessness and helplessness. The way that her own story comes out is heartbreaking. But I truly just did not connect with her. And the cast of supporting characters did nothing to alter my opinion of the book in general. As I mentioned, Charlie should've been amazing, and instead, the way that she dealt with the breakup with Mara was frustrating and juvenile, and sometimes, the way that she talked to Mara about her identity felt like a crash course in "this is how non-binary people are" from the author. It didn't feel authentic to me. Owen was cringey, even though we were supposed to feel Mara's relationship with him in the way they interacted - all I saw was the entitled douchebag who would absolutely rape someone. And don't even get me started on Mara's parents. Or Alex. There were some redeeming moments for both of them, but overall, they just felt like these caricatures of characters to me. The characters were what turned me off of this one. Story-wise, this didn't need any more closure than we got. It was subtle and felt real. I just wish that the characters held up that story better and let me get lost in it. As it was, all I felt was the disconnection between the two.