Anna’s life has been entirely changed after she experienced sexual assault. Afterwards, she becomes a Hester Prynn of sorts - the town creates gossip, called her names, and she even loses her best friend.
Once graduated, she looks like a hardened version of her past self. Within the first 10% of the book you can feel the tenseness between her and her mother. We see her mothers selfishness throughout, and her mother surely does not make her feel seen or loved. When she rekindles her relationship with Helen, she wants her to help get justice for her past. Unfortunately, like most victims of sexual assault, those closest to Anna fail to see her, validate her experiences. There is a lot of victim blaming. I was a bit shocked by the ending, because I don’t think what happened should have, felt like it wasn’t growth for her. However, I would recommend this book because it shows the lack of sensitivity and the lack of understanding to such issues. It is a heavier book especially if you are a victim, but I think it’s an accurate take on the situation.

This book was a really thoughtful examination of the impact of sexual assault on a person’s life and relationships and the misogyny that has created a social system that rewards men for harming women and punishes women for existing. As a survivor of sexual assault while fully incapacitated due to alcohol, I fully related to Anna’s character, was not at all surprised by the revelations she made, and… frankly felt grateful that my life had not spun as wildly out of control as hers did. For all that I related to Anna’s trauma and even her subsequent acting out, she was not all that likable a character, which almost made the book even better for me. Women (people) don’t owe us anything, including being more palatable or charming while they’re hurting to make the rest of us more comfortable. On the other hand, at times, Anna came off almost cartoonish in her self-destructive tendencies, and I think more time could have been spent on her maybe having a softer side/what her and Helen’s friendship had been like before the sexual assault took place.

Other things that stood out to me in a good way: different ways of parents being the worst, most characters in the story being not all bad or all good, Helen’s conflicting loyalties and motivations, and non-linear healing!

Overall, I would recommend this book, though I would caution that those who have been sexually assaulted while drinking may find it hitting a little too close to home.