Rape: A Love Story (Otto Penzler Books)

Women have eternally known there's no up side to reporting rape, and this novel realistically examines the never-ending aftermath of a sexual assault for a woman, her daughter, and the man forced to confront the horror of the scene. The story honors the courage and sheer fortitude of the people left to live broken lives, and convicts the society that allows, encourages, and perpetuates sexual assault and the dismissive and obtuse justice system.

I'm not sure who is more prolific: Stephen King or Joyce Carol Oates?I decided to read this book to see how she handled the subject of rape. As in every Oates book, I was riveted and uncomfortable with the disturbing emotions and the ensemble of victims and dark characters.As the title suggests there is a rape. Not just a rape but the gang rape of Teena Maguire by a pack of drugged out raging young men. Oates is a master of what she leaves out.After she was gang - raped, kicked and beaten and left to die on the floor of the filthy boathouse at Rocky Point Park. After she was dragged into the boathouse by the five drunken guys - unless there were six, or seven - and her twelve-year-old daughter with her screaming Let us go! Don't hurt us! Please don't hurt us!The humiliating journey for Teena can be summed up in a few words: suffering and darkness. She is physically and emotionally wrecked and retreats to the isolation of her bedroom for most of the novella.The rape occurs on the 4th of July. A symbol of American independence. This book shows that independence can be abused both legally and illegally.What happens after the rape is a scenario Americans are familiar with and witnessed in the O.J. and Kennedy-Smith cases. The sham trial begins with the rapists appearing to be clean cut, boy next door types in court. Then the brilliant defense attorney destroys the prosecution with a little help from the judge. Teena Maguire is raped a second time by the judicial system.The dark forces that have conspired against Teena Maguire are responded to by a few in the community outraged by what has happened. Leading this effort is a cop named Dromoor. He is not interested in the law, but he is interested in justice.This is not a comfortable novel. It will make you cringe. It is told from different points of views that can be both illuminating and confusing. The use of the second person voice was effective.Oates is at her chilling best in this book. I could not put it down.

Set in working-class Niagara Falls, New York, a young widow and her 12-year old daughter decide to take a shortcut home through a wooded area after a 4th of July party. But there's a gang of drunken young men hanging out, high on meth and looking for trouble. What follows is awful. The woman is left unconscious and bleeding but her young daughter manages to escape and get help. It seems like an open and shut case. But even though most of men are arrested, the town turns on the woman. "She had it coming," is the way they look at it.Much of the book is written from the point of view of the 12-year old girl. Our heart goes out to her as she realizes that her childhood ended on that awful night. What follows is a nightmare as her schoolmates taunt her and threaten her mother. There's a policeman, however, who was the first to discover the victims. As he watches the court system humiliate the woman and her daughter, he is enraged enough to take justice into his own hands.This book is a mere 154 small pages and is more a novella than a novel. It packs a terrific punch though. From the very first sentence, I was captivated, and read it at a breathless pace and cringed to hear about the horrors of the justice system for rape victims. This is especially true in a small town where everybody knows everybody else and the families of the rapists turn against the victim.Joyce Carol Oates is a prolific writer and, through the years, I have enjoyed many of her novels. I look forward to reading many more.

As sad heartbreaking gut wrenching sickening & disgusting the fact of rape is, it’s even more so when a victims community rapes the victim all over again when they choose to believe the rapist &/or rapists & that’s EXACTLY what happen to Teena & her young daughter Bethie who witnessed this vicious act done to her mother right in front of her eyes!I didn’t realize that this was a true story until I happened to pull up my favorite actor Nicolas Cage movies one night on the tv & saw the trailer for this exact movie.It took all I had to watch this movie obviously because of the nature of it & once I started watching it it had my attention! Yes I will admit I cried yelled at my tv but at the end I was jumping up & down for how the sick sadistic rapists got theirs in the end!The book is written very well although I could’ve done without some of the graphic details! Both the movie & this book do mirror each other & well worth the PERFECT ALMOST NEW USED PRICE!

I’m crying as I write this review, moved to tears by this shocking, heart-breaking novella. This is not an easy book to read. JCO does not include any descriptions of Teena’s actual assault, events are hinted at which is a relief. Details descriptions of a violent assault and a beating that is almost an attempted murder would sicken me. What made my heart ache the most was how Teena and her daughter and torn apart by the media. Teena was asking for it. She was drinking and dressed like a s*** so she asked for it. She walked home the scenic way so obviously asked for it. My heart broke for Teena. One thing about this novella is its relevance. I have no doubt what happened to Teena and her daughter will resonate for a lot of readers. We live in a society where such assault is common and victims are vilified and blamed and it disgusts me. I really felt for Teena. The event changes her; how she’s seen by the world, her daughter, her family and herself. She is two people, the Teena before the assault and the broken women after. It’s clear her ordeal will have an impact on her and her daughter for a long time. This is not an easy read but it is essential. I love it even though I hated what it was about and would recommend it.

I really wish this had a different title. I understand that it's referring to the love story between the rape survivor and her family, rather than the rapists, but it's such an unnecessarily misleading title that it makes it hard for me to recommend this book to anyone without babbling a caveat beforehand. That said, I have recommended this book, because I think that - despite the title - it's a fairly nuanced look at the problems within the justice system when it comes to the crime of rape, and at the deeper culture of victim blaming within society as a whole. The only part I didn't like was the ending, but I don't think it detracted from the rest of the book. Read with caution as it's obviously incredibly visceral and traumatic in places, to necessary effect.

This is such a powerful book about the reality of rape, victim blaming, the corruption of law enforcement and the justice system, and the trauma involved. I would recommend this book although I would caution that there is a graphic scene in the opening pages of the novella.

A traumatic and unflinching, but beautifully written short novel by the amazing JCO. This book will remain with you. Highly recommended

Good novel