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Reading Group Rating: Sensitive Subject Matter (Rape)
Personal Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Given Summary: Ben could date anyone he wants, but he only has eyes for the new girl—sarcastic, free-spirited Ani. Luckily for Ben, Ani wants him, too. She’s everything Ben could ever imagine. Everything he could ever want.
But that all changes after the party. The one Ben misses. The one Ani goes to alone.
Now Ani isn’t the girl she used to be, and Ben can’t sort out the truth from the lies. What really happened, and who is to blame?
Ben wants to help Ani, but the more she pushes him away, the more he wonders if there’s anything he can do to save the girl he loves
Cover: The cover of this book shows a lighter. Obviously the lighter has very important meaning in this novel. Ani has to get a lighter surgically removed from her after she is raped. But more than that, a lighter produced fire and fire can spread and destroy everything in its path. The lighter shows how quickly things can change, like a domino effect. After Ani is raped everything changes faster and faster.
My Review: This book was unlike anything I've ever really read before. I loved it. I liked that it could be a book that you read in class or in a book club and have a really sophisticated conversation about it. What is your fault line? What has to be the final straw to break you? How long can you keep a secret for a loved one? It takes Ben maybe a little too long to call Ani's mom and tell her what happened at the party months before. He gives up everything for a girl who seems to no longer love him. And Ani, something terrible happens to her and she seems to self-distruct. She sleeps around with random people to prove to herself that she still as control over her body. She makes her own choices, even if they're aren't the best choices. We may not agree with any of the choices either of these characters made, but at the same time who are we to say anything? Everyone reacts to every situation differently. I hope none of you have ever been in either of these situations and if you have maybe you want to explain how you reacted, but if you haven't then you don't know how you would react and I hope you never will. One of the most interesting/important parts of the novel (in my opinion) is when Ben says something like 'I don't share my girlfriend' and Ani replies that he already has. Ani is clearly hurting and needs help, but doesn't want to ask for it. She's afraid of how her mom will react and what she'd have to do after the truth is told to her mom. Ani needs someone to tell for her, even though she said she didnt want anyone to. Part of me thinks that she was seeing how far she could push Ben until he would break his promise and rat her out to her mom. She sleeps with random kids at school: nothing. She tries to seduce his best friend: nothing. She goes for the percy teacher: bingo. That's the final straw for Ben. What would be the final straw for you?
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