Saturday, January 24, 2009

Lucky by Alice Sebold

From AllReaders.com:
1. This is the true story of the brutual assault and rape of Alice Sebold, author "Lovely Bones." This book is not for everyone because it details a quite disturbing rape in the first several pages. What follows is a realistic look at what a victim would experience as they go through their recovery and trial. The author is quite fortunate in that her rapist is caught and sentenced to a maximum sentence for the crime. While this book can be shocking at times, it gives an excellent insight to what a victim of this sort of crime would go through as they heal." Sonnet Davis, Resident Scholar

2. Alice Sebold documents the account of her rape in 1981, as a college freshman at Syracuse. The horrible incident is only the beginning--the book details all of the aftermath as well. She has to deal with telling the police, her friends, and family, who try to be supportive but don't know how to. She becomes known as "the girl who was raped" by fellow classmates. She finishes out her first year of college, discovering that writing has become a method of catharsis in dealing with the rape.
Later, Alice faces her rapist in court and must testify against him. Maintaining a normal life as a college student has become difficult for her. She makes some friends and even goes on a few dates, but the healing process is a long one, and the rape haunts her for some time. However, despite the rather graphic description of the rape, the novel is overall triumphant and encouraging." Cassie, Resident Scholar

A powerful, dark, memorable book. Took bravery to write.