A review by dwcofer
Rape a Love Story by Joyce Carol Oates
3.0
“Rape: A Love Story,” by Joyce Carol Oates is a hard-hitting, emotionally packed novel. The story is told from several viewpoints, but mostly from the viewpoint of Teena Maguire, the rape victim, and her 12 year old daughter, Bethie, who was attacked and present during the rape of her mother.
The story is both sad and heartbreaking. The gory details are all included by Oates. If you are the squeamish type, this book might not be for you. The writing is excellent and the characters are well developed. The story pulls you in from page one as you pull for Teena to overcome the physical and emotional abuse suffered at the hands of her rapists.
My only quibble with the book is the ending. While I do like how justice was served in the end, the final ending did not seem realistic. Teena goes from being severely depressed one day and the next she takes off with a man she just met. That was out of character for the Teena the reader had come to know. Other than that, I highly recommend this book.
The story is both sad and heartbreaking. The gory details are all included by Oates. If you are the squeamish type, this book might not be for you. The writing is excellent and the characters are well developed. The story pulls you in from page one as you pull for Teena to overcome the physical and emotional abuse suffered at the hands of her rapists.
My only quibble with the book is the ending. While I do like how justice was served in the end, the final ending did not seem realistic. Teena goes from being severely depressed one day and the next she takes off with a man she just met. That was out of character for the Teena the reader had come to know. Other than that, I highly recommend this book.