A review by cc_shelflove
The Damage by Caitlin Wahrer

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Holy twist, Batman. I can’t believe this is a debut! The Damage takes us through the aftermath of Nick’s violent sexual assault. When he tells a detective and the ER receptionist he was raped by a man, he is met with funny looks and skepticism. Are you sure you, a strong man, we’re raped? Inevitably, the case hits the media right away, and Nick struggles to tell his truth. Can his big brother, Tony, save him, as he has many times before? If you want to read a book involving marital issues, damn, this is it. Due to the topics involved, it is not necessarily a quick read, but I was so throughly impressed. You’ll probably think you have it all figured out, but I can assure you… you don’t. 

“And maybe she’d been right. That she could look those people in the eye and treat them like they were anyone else, regardless of what they were accused of . . . he might have judged her for it before. Might have judged her just now, in his mind a moment ago. But he was lucky, he realized. So lucky to have a wife who was calm in the face of darkness.”
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