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pollyhall's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
davidbythebay's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This was good. I think the ending was satisfying enough, though I clocked the outcome early on. I liked Nick and his brother, though his brother's white knighting got old fast. The rest of the characters - including the other two main POVs Julia and Detective Rice - were middling as their motives and actions were sometimes not really supported by their character. The assailant was abhorrent and arrogant, making it easy to hate him. But it still raises the question: is the ending justified?
My biggest problem with this was not the plot, but the questions it raises. The plot was satisfactorily concluded, as I said before, despite it not being enthralling. No, the issue I have is with the topics this novel covers and the questions it raises. In sum, I feel as though the questions raised weren't fully explored or expanded on. They were mentioned and moved on from more than questioned and analyzed. Yes, the ending was satisfying to an extent, but it breaks down with a few threads pulled.
The following is set as a spoiler because it gets into a few plot points which are kind of in the summary description but I'm going to go just a bit deeper.The first question I want to discuss is the focus on a male victim/survivor of rape and sexual assault. I absolutely believe that this story isn't explored enough and discussed enough in literature and society at large. Indeed, the hospital employee first met when Nick enters to report his rape and seek medical help begins the interaction by thinking the female friend with Nick is the victim. The fact that we largely assume that when we discuss rape the victim is a female is, statistically, correct, though should we be basing assumptions on statistics alone? Shouldn't we take a statement on its face and not try to fit it a preconceived notion we have? In the employee's position, I think it is outright disrespectful to automatically think that it was the female before them and not the victim who stated it. By trying to fit the preconceived notion that rape is a female victimization ignores and pre-judges the male victim, as though they doesn't believe him about what he said. They said as much in the text. Again, the reporting of rape or sexual assault by male victims may be less frequent than by female victims, though that shouldn't matter. I feel as though this general question about society's focus rape being a female-victim crime ignores all genders and sexualities that are not female. And let's not forget that this is further discriminatory of trans persons as the assumptions of both trans people and rape defy the simple logic of many. The novel raises this male victim question a few times but never explores it or answer it. It leaves a bit of a thought lodged in the mind, but never establishes arguments or nuances to patterns of thinking. This would have been wonderful.
Then we have the question of gay men. It is still an unbelievably harmful stereotype that gay men are overly concerned with finding and engaging in rough and dangerous sex. Not true. The assumptions about gay men interacting with the rape plot line are again mentioned but not explored. At best it's an aside a few times. This deserved more discussion and exploration. Especially as I felt there was some stuff that could have been cut unless it went somewhere else, like Julia's use of a private eye to find other victims; this could have opened up the discussions I wanted from this thriller - discussions I only wanted after they were raised, not when I entered the book. As it stands, the private eye and some of the side quests of this felt very much like a waste when it was over. Those sections could have been halved at least and allowed for more interesting discussions.
A final issue I had is with the dynamics of the effects of rape on the family. Nick, our victim, has some of his psychological reactions explored but the story doesn't really focus on him much. No, the story is focused almost exclusively on Julia and Detective Rice. And with Julia and her husband Tony - of whom we do get narrated chapters - we see the strain on their marriage and themselves, but again it was half-hearted. There was so much to explore and dive into there which could have supported the thriller aspects of this novel by, for example, playing on the inner psychological ramifications of Nick's ordeal on Tony and Julia separately and how that was really impacting the marriage and the kids. These aspects were there, but I felt they were again just forgotten about. When the back description calls out the small-town family effect of this crime - "When a small-town family is pushed to the brink, how far will they go to protect one of their own?" - I wanted more about the family dynamics. Nick's formerly abusive father who seems to have a character shift I don't fully accept - I felt he would hold onto some of his more aggressive traits - and the more extended family beyond Nick, Tony and Julia are brought together but never given much attention to. The background stories about why Tony is so protective of Nick were amazing at explaining his current motivations, but either work with the characters it introduces when they appear again or forget bringing them in again.
REAL SPOILER FOR THE ENDING!!!!!!!!! As for the ending, I don't understand why the arrogant and confident Ray - the rapist - would follow Julia's plan at all. It felt completely far from his character unless he had done this before and wanted the chance to do this again. There are hints he raped and sexually assaulted before, but nothing is confirmed. So why follow the plan of your victim's sister-in-law at all? And I understand Julia's connections to have Ray disappear, but again there is a level of unbelievability of the situation.
Overall, it was good though it was a bit of a let down that I don't think I'll remember much of n a few months beyond the questions it raises.
My biggest problem with this was not the plot, but the questions it raises. The plot was satisfactorily concluded, as I said before, despite it not being enthralling. No, the issue I have is with the topics this novel covers and the questions it raises. In sum, I feel as though the questions raised weren't fully explored or expanded on. They were mentioned and moved on from more than questioned and analyzed. Yes, the ending was satisfying to an extent, but it breaks down with a few threads pulled.
The following is set as a spoiler because it gets into a few plot points which are kind of in the summary description but I'm going to go just a bit deeper.
Then we have the question of gay men. It is still an unbelievably harmful stereotype that gay men are overly concerned with finding and engaging in rough and dangerous sex. Not true. The assumptions about gay men interacting with the rape plot line are again mentioned but not explored. At best it's an aside a few times. This deserved more discussion and exploration. Especially as I felt there was some stuff that could have been cut unless it went somewhere else, like Julia's use of a private eye to find other victims; this could have opened up the discussions I wanted from this thriller - discussions I only wanted after they were raised, not when I entered the book. As it stands, the private eye and some of the side quests of this felt very much like a waste when it was over. Those sections could have been halved at least and allowed for more interesting discussions.
A final issue I had is with the dynamics of the effects of rape on the family. Nick, our victim, has some of his psychological reactions explored but the story doesn't really focus on him much. No, the story is focused almost exclusively on Julia and Detective Rice. And with Julia and her husband Tony - of whom we do get narrated chapters - we see the strain on their marriage and themselves, but again it was half-hearted. There was so much to explore and dive into there which could have supported the thriller aspects of this novel by, for example, playing on the inner psychological ramifications of Nick's ordeal on Tony and Julia separately and how that was really impacting the marriage and the kids. These aspects were there, but I felt they were again just forgotten about. When the back description calls out the small-town family effect of this crime - "When a small-town family is pushed to the brink, how far will they go to protect one of their own?" - I wanted more about the family dynamics. Nick's formerly abusive father who seems to have a character shift I don't fully accept - I felt he would hold onto some of his more aggressive traits - and the more extended family beyond Nick, Tony and Julia are brought together but never given much attention to. The background stories about why Tony is so protective of Nick were amazing at explaining his current motivations, but either work with the characters it introduces when they appear again or forget bringing them in again.
REAL SPOILER FOR THE ENDING!!!!!!!!! As for the ending, I don't understand why the arrogant and confident Ray - the rapist - would follow Julia's plan at all. It felt completely far from his character unless he had done this before and wanted the chance to do this again. There are hints he raped and sexually assaulted before, but nothing is confirmed. So why follow the plan of your victim's sister-in-law at all? And I understand Julia's connections to have Ray disappear, but again there is a level of unbelievability of the situation.
Overall, it was good though it was a bit of a let down that I don't think I'll remember much of n a few months beyond the questions it raises.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Child abuse and Homophobia
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Murder, and Alcohol
nicolemwelch's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Addiction and Child abuse
sfbookgirl's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Recommended by several book friends, I knew I had to get my hands on The Damage. Caitlin Wahrer’s debut novel is a solid small-town mystery with a twisty plot. Tony’s life is turned upside down when his younger brother Nick ends up in the hospital after being sexually assaulted. When Tony’s wife Julia, also Nick’s sister-in-law, finds out about what happened to Nick, she uses her professional connections as a lawyer to help Nick and Tony uncover the culprit.
The number of character’s initially thrown at me may explain why it took me until the halfway point to really get into the story. That said, The Damage takes on the often passed-by topic of male sexual assault and brings forward the emotional impact experienced by the main character and his family. The incredibly flawed characters allowed for a captivating story that is filled with tension, suspense, and uncertainty. Overall, a fantastic debut novel and perfect for fans of thrillers.
The number of character’s initially thrown at me may explain why it took me until the halfway point to really get into the story. That said, The Damage takes on the often passed-by topic of male sexual assault and brings forward the emotional impact experienced by the main character and his family. The incredibly flawed characters allowed for a captivating story that is filled with tension, suspense, and uncertainty. Overall, a fantastic debut novel and perfect for fans of thrillers.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Homophobia
bostonbooksandbubbles's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Suicide attempt
blackbookishbabe89's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, and Suicide attempt