Books I've Loved: All The Rage

I just finished this one on Monday, and wow!  What a powerful story.  What an important book.  I've read other books that dealt with rape and surviving rape, but this book feels so honest about the feelings.

The main character, Romy, is kind of a bitch.  I didn't like her most of the way through the book, but I understood why she was a bitch.  Sometimes acting that way is the only defense.  Everyone around Romy treated her so badly, it's little wonder se put walls up to keep them out.

The other thing I liked about this one is that Romy's mother was very present.  She didn't understand what was going on with her daughter either, but she was there and she cared and she did her best with what Romy offered.

And the romance in this book is perfect in that it's barely a romance at all.  Romy isn't in a place where she can do that, and the book is completely honest about the way Romy acts around the boy who likes her, who she likes, but can't get close to without losing her mind.

But, if you don't trust me, here's the blurb:

The sheriff’s son, Kellan Turner, is not the golden boy everyone thinks he is, and Romy Grey knows that for a fact. Because no one wants to believe a girl from the wrong side of town, the truth about him has cost her everything—friends, family, and her community. Branded a liar and bullied relentlessly by a group of kids she used to hang out with, Romy’s only refuge is the diner where she works outside of town. No one knows her name or her past there; she can finally be anonymous. But when a girl with ties to both Romy and Kellan goes missing after a party, and news of him assaulting another girl in a town close by gets out, Romy must decide whether she wants to fight or carry the burden of knowing more girls could get hurt if she doesn’t speak up. Nobody believed her the first time—and they certainly won’t now — but the cost of her silence might be more than she can bear.　

With a shocking conclusion and writing that will absolutely knock you out, All the Rage examines the shame and silence inflicted upon young women after an act of sexual violence, forcing us to ask ourselves: In a culture that refuses to protect its young girls, how can they survive?