Reviews with content warning for Suicide attempt - The Damage

Damage explores the impact of the rape of Nick, a gay man, not only on Nick himself but also on his family - brother Tony, and sister-in-law Julia. Sections of the novel are told from the perspective of all three, as well as that of the officer investigating the case, in alternating then (the immediate aftermath of the assault) and now (four years later) timelines.

In many ways this is a slow burn, a quiet suspense/domestic thriller rather than an action packed drama. It was however full of plenty of twists and turns, and had me questioning who if anyone I could trust. In answering the question “How far would you go to protect your family?” this book really went in a direction I wasn’t expecting.

It did drag a little in the middle, I didn’t find the ending completely satisfying, and I wish the specific issues relating to being a gay male survivor of rape were honed in on a little more. But overall a read that handled sensitive issues in a compassionate manner, held my attention, got me thinking and kept me guessing.

Content Warnings

pollyhall's review against another edition

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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

cc_shelflove's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Holy twist, Batman. I can’t believe this is a debut! The Damage takes us through the aftermath of Nick’s violent sexual assault. When he tells a detective and the ER receptionist he was raped by a man, he is met with funny looks and skepticism. Are you sure you, a strong man, we’re raped? Inevitably, the case hits the media right away, and Nick struggles to tell his truth. Can his big brother, Tony, save him, as he has many times before? If you want to read a book involving marital issues, damn, this is it. Due to the topics involved, it is not necessarily a quick read, but I was so throughly impressed. You’ll probably think you have it all figured out, but I can assure you… you don’t.

“And maybe she’d been right. That she could look those people in the eye and treat them like they were anyone else, regardless of what they were accused of . . . he might have judged her for it before. Might have judged her just now, in his mind a moment ago. But he was lucky, he realized. So lucky to have a wife who was calm in the face of darkness.”

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