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A review by peripetia
Consent by Vanessa Springora
5.0
This was a great memoir. The writing was fantastic in spite of the subject matter being extremely difficult. This was hard to read (or listen to, in my case), so I can only imagine how hard it was to write. Springora still somehow manages to look at the events of her past with an unflinching eye and write about them with empathy and care for herself and other victims.
Springora in this book is angry, and rightfully so. The way that everyone around her failed her, from her parents to other adults to society itself, will make the reader angry as well. Obviously the actions of her abuser are also disgusting and maddening.
The cultural context of Springora's "affair" with G. was... interesting. Before this book became a phenomenon, I didn't know that the campaign for sexual liberation in France included, for some people, the "liberation" of sexual relationships between adults and minors. Although this seems unbelievable, it's really not all that unfamiliar. These attitudes still persist.
This familiarity was one of the aspects that made me angry as well as sad. This still happens all the time. The tactics of predators have not changed. The excuses are still repeated to this day. What's unebelievable is how little progress has been made to protect children, not the abusers.
Springora in this book is angry, and rightfully so. The way that everyone around her failed her, from her parents to other adults to society itself, will make the reader angry as well. Obviously the actions of her abuser are also disgusting and maddening.
The cultural context of Springora's "affair" with G. was... interesting. Before this book became a phenomenon, I didn't know that the campaign for sexual liberation in France included, for some people, the "liberation" of sexual relationships between adults and minors. Although this seems unbelievable, it's really not all that unfamiliar. These attitudes still persist.
This familiarity was one of the aspects that made me angry as well as sad. This still happens all the time. The tactics of predators have not changed. The excuses are still repeated to this day. What's unebelievable is how little progress has been made to protect children, not the abusers.