Mr. McCane
I owned this book for about a year and finally had time to read it. I’m actually glad I did. And after hearing about the lawsuit, it all makes sense now.
This book is about a perfect, goody-two-shoes, privileged woman who does everything just right. She hates men, then suddenly meets the “perfect” man. They have “perfect” children and become the “perfect” family. Her husband ends up taking illegal drugs (ecstasy) in what they call a controlled therapeutic environment (MDMA). The FDA does not approve it, but he convinces his wife to try it anyway.
While under the influence, she experiences vivid “memories” of being violently sexually assaulted for years, starting in middle school by a teacher. Suddenly, everything clicks, and she believes she now remembers why she hates men. The rest of the book focuses on her trying to gain sympathy and positioning herself not only as a victim of sexual assault but as its poster child. She becomes frustrated with law enforcement when they can’t make an arrest in this case for obvious reasons. Example: The statute of limitations and the fact that she was high on illegal drugs.
As you can probably tell, I absolutely hated this book. I’ve been working sexual assault cases for seventeen years, and this comes across as deeply unrealistic.
On top of that, her friend in the book (Claudia) is now suing her in real life. Claudia (referred to as Jane Doe) claims the author hired investigators to pose as people interested in purchasing her story for a movie. They allegedly recorded multiple phone interviews and attempted to arrange an in-person meeting to sign paperwork, which raises obvious questions about intent.
According to Jane Doe, she became suspicious after researching them and asking who they really were. They reportedly became defensive and cut off communication. She accuses the author of stealing her story and then hiring a ghostwriter to tell it.
To me, this book reads like someone who hasn’t experienced these events but is trying to center themselves in a narrative for attention. Adding to that, she and her husband reportedly have financial interests tied to MDMA, which makes the situation feel even more questionable.
People also allege that money went to high-profile individuals such as Oprah Winfrey, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Reese Witherspoon. Most likely to help push this book, but this is all speculative.
If any of this is true, it’s deeply troubling. It undermines real survivors of sexual assault and trivializes their experiences.
Oprah, this is strike three: A Million Little Pieces, American Dirt, and now The Tell. No more book recommendations from you.
Minus two stars.
I owned this book for about a year and finally had time to read it. I’m actually glad I did. And after hearing about the lawsuit, it all makes sense now.
This book is about a perfect, goody-two-shoes, privileged woman who does everything just right. She hates men, then suddenly meets the “perfect” man. They have “perfect” children and become the “perfect” family. Her husband ends up taking illegal drugs (ecstasy) in what they call a controlled therapeutic environment (MDMA). The FDA does not approve it, but he convinces his wife to try it anyway.
While under the influence, she experiences vivid “memories” of being violently sexually assaulted for years, starting in middle school by a teacher. Suddenly, everything clicks, and she believes she now remembers why she hates men. The rest of the book focuses on her trying to gain sympathy and positioning herself not only as a victim of sexual assault but as its poster child. She becomes frustrated with law enforcement when they can’t make an arrest in this case for obvious reasons. Example: The statute of limitations and the fact that she was high on illegal drugs.
As you can probably tell, I absolutely hated this book. I’ve been working sexual assault cases for seventeen years, and this comes across as deeply unrealistic.
On top of that, her friend in the book (Claudia) is now suing her in real life. Claudia (referred to as Jane Doe) claims the author hired investigators to pose as people interested in purchasing her story for a movie. They allegedly recorded multiple phone interviews and attempted to arrange an in-person meeting to sign paperwork, which raises obvious questions about intent.
According to Jane Doe, she became suspicious after researching them and asking who they really were. They reportedly became defensive and cut off communication. She accuses the author of stealing her story and then hiring a ghostwriter to tell it.
To me, this book reads like someone who hasn’t experienced these events but is trying to center themselves in a narrative for attention. Adding to that, she and her husband reportedly have financial interests tied to MDMA, which makes the situation feel even more questionable.
People also allege that money went to high-profile individuals such as Oprah Winfrey, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Reese Witherspoon. Most likely to help push this book, but this is all speculative.
If any of this is true, it’s deeply troubling. It undermines real survivors of sexual assault and trivializes their experiences.
Oprah, this is strike three: A Million Little Pieces, American Dirt, and now The Tell. No more book recommendations from you.
Minus two stars.