Reviews with content warning for Blood - Damage

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.

Content Warnings

kerrygetsliterary's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

Content Warnings

danielghurst's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

THE DAMAGE by Caitlin Wahrer is the tense story of the Hall family dealing with a major trauma. When twenty-year-old Nick is the victim of a sexual assault, he turns to his protective older brother, Tony, and Tony's wife, Julia, for help. Told in a dual timeline in which Julia meets with the detective from Nick's case years later, the story is about how the characters' actions affect their relationships and the damage that reverberates from that one awful night.

This book is a fantastic blend of suspense and character study. With the juxtaposition of the dual timelines, some well-placed cliffhangers, and a touch of dramatic irony, Wahrer keeps the pages turning in this small story. We do see glimpses of the wider world of the court system, police department, and local press, but most of the drama is contained to a handful of characters. Each one is well-developed and comes alive on the page with just enough backstory to inform their present choices and with dialogue that feels true to life and the individuals. Much of the tension in the story comes from their relationships, and the light touch of suspense allows space to address difficult topics (see content warnings below) with the care they deserve while keeping the story compelling.

THE DAMAGE is a stunning debut, and I look forward to seeing what Wahrer does next!

CW: sexual assault, physical violence, self-harm, overdose, suicide attempt, alcoholism, child abuse

Content Warnings

More...