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brookebomber's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Self harm and Suicide attempt
ktdakotareads's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Medical trauma, Stalking, and Injury/Injury detail
ellosippo's review against another edition
I couldn't handle the sexual assault and self harm. So... All of it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm and Sexual assault
annicamon's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
serendipitysbooks's review
dark
emotional
reflective
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
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
Graphic: Rape, Self harm, and Suicide attempt
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
amandalorianxo's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-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
I definitely think this book encompasses more of a stark,raw look at rape when it involves males, specifically gay men. It hurt to read what Nick was going through. I was all in up until the last couple of chapters. I do think though that in spite of the ending. I believe that “Josh” got what was coming to him and perhaps Julia knew more than she let on. I was surprised we didn’t hear more from Tony and Nick but ultimately the central pov really does rely on Detective Rice & Julia.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
Moderate: Self harm
Minor: Homophobia
neniacorcoran's review against another edition
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, 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
greatestheights's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
4 solid stars for this beautiful work. I loved so much about this book, primarily the focus on brotherhood, family, and healing in the wake of great trauma and pain. It's also so important to talk about male victims of sexual assault, and the author did so compassionately and honestly. I don't have a brother but I'm an older sibling, like Tony, and a fixer, too. I deeply identified with his rage and his grief.
I also identified with Julia's fear and desperation to save her family, and perhaps most importantly, Nick's coping mechanisms and desire to escape his victimhood. Also, I really enjoyed having characters to love and root for after a few books without any trace of that.
I also identified with Julia's fear and desperation to save her family, and perhaps most importantly, Nick's coping mechanisms and desire to escape his victimhood.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail