It's about another white girl living in a white world, who is raped and proceeds on a downward spiral towards sex, drugs and self-hatred. The Way I Used to Be, however, adds nothing but more paper to the pile.
These books are incredibly important for fostering discussion about rape, its aftermath, and the way we treat rape victims. I've read many books about teenage girls who were raped, from the classic Speak, to last year's harrowing tale of how a girl is let down by everyone around her - All the Rage, to the recent book about a girl with a strong support network - Exit, Pursued by a Bear. Fiction, though, is a little bit different. Every survivor has their own story to tell, each equally valid, and they don't owe anyone an interesting, convincing account of it. If this were a real life account of a rape survivor, then things would be different. There are many thoughts running around in my head about this book and it's hard to decide how to write a review without sounding completely insensitive.
I seem to be in the minority on this one. But it also demonstrates one young woman’s strength as she navigates the disappointment and unbearable pains of adolescence, of first love and first heartbreak, of friendships broken and rebuilt, and while learning to embrace a power of survival she never knew she had hidden within her heart. Told in four parts-freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior year-this provocative debut reveals the deep cuts of trauma. Nothing makes sense anymore, and she knows she’s supposed to tell someone what happened but she can’t.
What she thought she knew to be true, is now lies. What Eden once loved-who she once loved-she now hates. But the night her brother’s best friend rapes her, Eden’s world capsizes. Starting high school didn’t change who she was. In the tradition of Speak, this extraordinary debut novel shares the unforgettable story of a young woman as she struggles to find strength in the aftermath of an assault.Įden was always good at being good.
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