This book, a young adult novel, was recommended by one of my former students, Julie Rotshchild, as a must read for her 9th grade son. I am not so sure. It centers on 'almost a rape' of Jess Jordan, a precocious 9th grader at the time of the incident. Although it's a young adult novel, the subject matter, though treated with intelligence, is mature. The novel opens three year's after the attempted rape, at the end of Jess's junior year. Since the incident, she has become a recluse, the school weirdo, withdrawn, friendless, though a straight A student. She's seen psychiatrist's, tested various drugs, but cannot avoid terrible nightmares, bits and pieces of the memory of that night. Her parents, clearly, fear for her life, as does her younger sister Kika. Jess figures out how to avoid the nightmares; she does not sleep at night and finds places to take naps during the school day. Every other chapter is told by Jess, the other chapters are told by Gray Porter, also a junior, handsome, outgoing, a jock, with many friends, the cool guy in the school, the antithesis of Jess.
The novel begins when both Jess and Gray find themselves the final two candidates for a summer job. Gray recognizes her though she does not know him. In order to get permission to apply to college, Jess must prove to her parents that she can hold a summer job, thus it's must for her. For Gray, he needs the money, eight thousand dollars to go to college. Jess, afraid Gray will get the job, offers a deal...he can have the money if they both offer to do the job. Gray agrees and part of the agreement is that he will be her part time boy friend, proving to her parents that she is normal. Gray agrees to this for two reasons; one, he know about her 'almost rape,' in fact he stopped it from happening though he feels some guilt. And he has been in love with her since freshmen year. He wants nothing more than to spend his summer with her. And because he is aware of her rape and psychological problems, he vows to do everything he can to help her, to never do anything that might hurt her. From this point, the novel evolves into an intense, often realistic picture of a teenage romance, albeit a chaste one. During their summer of love, Jess never realizes Gray's feelings are real, that he's not acting. Nevertheless, she too falls for him. Slowly, they get closer to each other, though neither knows for sure the whole story. Finally, Gray tells her the truth, that he was there the night of the rape, that he rescued her from a senior, but left her despite her pleas when the police came. She blows up, leaves him in anger for his lies, for not telling her the truth when they first met. She returns home, in tears, and that night the entire episodes comes back to her, including Gray's role. This memory is cathartic, as if all she needed was to face the truth, something her parents never told her. They felt it best to not tell her about the rape since she did not remember it. Jess, angry at her parents for not telling the truth, and at Gray as well, finally recognizes that no one is really at fault, including herself. With this realization, she rushes over to Gray's house, the two kiss and make up, return to Jess's house, as a couple, to the relief and happiness of both families. All's well that ends well.
I have to admit liking the book; a teenage romance is so appealing, so intense, so fraught with emotion, which is why love stories like Romeo and Juliet are still so popular. Both Gray and Jess are appealing, Gray with his empathy and selflessness, Jess because of her neediness and honesty. What the book makes clear, however, is the terrible consequences of anything close to a rape on a young person. For this reason alone, most teens should read this book as a cautionary tale, male and female.
No comments:
Post a Comment