A review by poachedeggs
You Against Me by Jenny Downham
3.0
This story about the romance between the brother and sister of a rape victim and the rapist respectively could have been so good. It started out well enough, with a bleak scene in the rape victim's public housing flat, then later, a creepy haircutting scene at the privileged rapist's house (with the sister being the hairdresser). What's more, Mikey is working at a pub, learning about how to be the next Jamie Oliver, and Ellie is studying for her O-levels, which is all so nicely British and refreshing after the recent surfeit of American YA in my life...
After THE DISCLOSURE though, things become a little unreal, and the book began to seem unwieldy - too long at 413 pages. It felt like climax after climax was inserted to keep the interest of the reader burning, and the sappiness of the relationship also took its toll on its more cynical adult reader after a while.
The premise is really good, and Downham portrays the tensions within each household quite beautifully. I just wish she had stopped at pg. 300!
After THE DISCLOSURE though, things become a little unreal, and the book began to seem unwieldy - too long at 413 pages. It felt like climax after climax was inserted to keep the interest of the reader burning, and the sappiness of the relationship also took its toll on its more cynical adult reader after a while.
Spoiler
Really, did Mikey have to go and visit Ellie when the trial hadn't even begun yet, at the end of the novel? Wouldn't this compromise her position even more??The premise is really good, and Downham portrays the tensions within each household quite beautifully. I just wish she had stopped at pg. 300!