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A review by frombethanysbookshelf
Her, Too by Bonnie Kistler
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Her, Too is a searing and timely exploration into the pitfalls and dangers of a corrupt justice system and the lasting damage of sexual abuse. I’ll just say first off that this was a difficult read, and I’m sure many other readers might find something the themes in this hard as well, but if you’re feeling up to it I’d definitely recommend trying because it captures the zeitgeist of the misogynistic culture we live in with startling clarity and is so compelling.
Our main character is a complicated one, extremely unlikable at the start and hypocritical but complex and showing us the deep inner workings of a corrupted system, and how someone could end up becoming as detached and bitter as she seems at first. She spent so long defending abusers because she wanted to win her cases, but now is coming to terms with the dire consequences of what she’s done, realising the pain and devastation these men have caused. As she begins her quest for revenge with the women she’s wronged, it’s clear she struggles to reconcile the things she’s done with the pain she’s feeling and what she has to lose — it takes a while to find something human in her, but her complexity and duality is what makes her so real when we start to see the vulnerabilities she’s been fighting to disguise.
Our story moves slowly, with gritty and uncomfortable settings that creeps along until it explodes into what can only be described as utter chaos — it’s set in a strange familiar world, where everything is so close to reality but shifted so slightly that you could almost question if it really happened and you somehow missed it.
Kelly acts as our main narrator with occasional recollections from the other women as they relive their horrific experiences and I immediately found connection and fury with their stories. Her storytelling was cold, clinical at first but slowly develops personality as the tension grows to a suffocating level while she continues to go to greater lengths to enact her final revenge as the secrets and lies of everyone around her start to finally come to light in something that seems ripped from the front page of a tabloid.
A striking, painfully relevant story with a cutting edge that holds a mirror to the women who have been made accessories to their own victimisation.
Our main character is a complicated one, extremely unlikable at the start and hypocritical but complex and showing us the deep inner workings of a corrupted system, and how someone could end up becoming as detached and bitter as she seems at first. She spent so long defending abusers because she wanted to win her cases, but now is coming to terms with the dire consequences of what she’s done, realising the pain and devastation these men have caused. As she begins her quest for revenge with the women she’s wronged, it’s clear she struggles to reconcile the things she’s done with the pain she’s feeling and what she has to lose — it takes a while to find something human in her, but her complexity and duality is what makes her so real when we start to see the vulnerabilities she’s been fighting to disguise.
Our story moves slowly, with gritty and uncomfortable settings that creeps along until it explodes into what can only be described as utter chaos — it’s set in a strange familiar world, where everything is so close to reality but shifted so slightly that you could almost question if it really happened and you somehow missed it.
Kelly acts as our main narrator with occasional recollections from the other women as they relive their horrific experiences and I immediately found connection and fury with their stories. Her storytelling was cold, clinical at first but slowly develops personality as the tension grows to a suffocating level while she continues to go to greater lengths to enact her final revenge as the secrets and lies of everyone around her start to finally come to light in something that seems ripped from the front page of a tabloid.
A striking, painfully relevant story with a cutting edge that holds a mirror to the women who have been made accessories to their own victimisation.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence
Moderate: Transphobia