Josh's Reviews > Fault Line

This is a really important book - it asks very difficult questions, and at times is hard to read. But many important things are difficult to get through and I strongly urge you to not only start, but to finish this book. You will be challenged to question your assumptions and your views.

The writing is intelligent, and engaging. The characters are more nuanced then you would expect for such a short book, and Desir does a lovely job of drawing you into their lives and relationships. It is because her writing is so disarming and the characters are so likable that the decline of Ani strikes you so hard. It's not the tough luck of some kid, rather I found myself really rooting for her, and ultimately feeling gutted by what happened to her.


I really hope all of my friends get this book. As another reviewer said, it's the kind of book that you need to talk to someone about after you finish it. These sorts of conversations are critical to dealing with sexual assault, and the more we talk about it, and the more we acknowledge the problem the less invisible survivors will be. After a couple of days I got over the book and was really wishing I could talk to my friends about it. I couldn't and ended up putting down some of my thoughts in a blog (http://labroides.org/2013/03/28/on-se...). I look forward to this book coming out so we can carry on these discussions.

In summery, this is not an easy book to read. It will make you cry, but when you're done and you've hugged someone you love, you will be more open to addressing the inequities which perpetuate rape culture. That, ultimately will make you a better person and our society a more compassionate one.