Synopsis
"The party last Saturday night is a bit of a blur.
Kate Weston can piece together most of the bash at John Doone’s house: shots with Stacey Stallard, Ben Cody taking her keys and getting her home early—the feeling that maybe he’s becoming more than just the guy she’s known since they were kids.
But when a picture of Stacey passed out over Deacon Mills’s shoulder appears online the next morning, Kate suspects she doesn’t have all the details, and begins to ask questions.
What really happened at the party after she left?
Who was still there?
What did they see?
When Stacey levels charges against four of Kate’s classmates, the whole town erupts into controversy. Facts that can’t be ignored begin to surface, and every answer Kate finds leads back to the same question:
Where was Ben when a terrible crime was committed?
This story—inspired by real events—from debut novelist Aaron Hartzler takes an unflinching look at silence as a form of complicity. It’s a book about the high stakes of speaking up, and the razor thin line between guilt and innocence that so often gets blurred, one hundred and forty characters at a time." (Goodreads)
Kate Weston can piece together most of the bash at John Doone’s house: shots with Stacey Stallard, Ben Cody taking her keys and getting her home early—the feeling that maybe he’s becoming more than just the guy she’s known since they were kids.
But when a picture of Stacey passed out over Deacon Mills’s shoulder appears online the next morning, Kate suspects she doesn’t have all the details, and begins to ask questions.
What really happened at the party after she left?
Who was still there?
What did they see?
When Stacey levels charges against four of Kate’s classmates, the whole town erupts into controversy. Facts that can’t be ignored begin to surface, and every answer Kate finds leads back to the same question:
Where was Ben when a terrible crime was committed?
This story—inspired by real events—from debut novelist Aaron Hartzler takes an unflinching look at silence as a form of complicity. It’s a book about the high stakes of speaking up, and the razor thin line between guilt and innocence that so often gets blurred, one hundred and forty characters at a time." (Goodreads)
This is an IMPORTANT book
I could go on about my thoughts and feelings on Brock Turner and the Stanford rape case, which is what led me to read this book (I had it on my shelf, but is there ever a good time to read a book about a tough topic?), but this is a book review and I don't want to get too heated. I personally feel that people of all ages, especially the teenagers it was written for, should read this book.
This is a page-turner of a novel and I found it engaging and easy to read. However, the story itself isn't easy. It's just very, very important. Throughout the novel, Hartzler poses questions and discussions among Katie, her family, her friends, and her teachers. It explores sexism, consent, the dangers of rumor-spreading and cyber-bullying.
This book is fiction, but it is based on a terrifying reality: society's tendency to blame the victim for what happens to them. To use all of the good things the criminals have done as an excuse to let them go. To simply stand on the sidelines and laugh at something terrible because the person doing it holds power they shouldn't have.
If you think this stuff isn't real, please know that Hartzler wrote this book inspired by an actual case.
A Few of the Many Quotes I Appreciated
"That's the trick about permission. You don't have it unless it's been given."
"Jesus, Will. She's a human being, not a hashtag. There's a person involved."
"Lindsey isn't having it. "'Boys will be boys' is what people say to excuse guys when they do something awful."
Overall
4 Stars
I feel like I can't say as much as the book says. I just really appreciated its unflinching honesty about something that society really needs to be honest and open about. If you know anyone who would benefit from reading this book (and that would be anyone really),
please share it with them.
please share it with them.
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