Ratings2
Average rating4.5
From the critically acclaimed author of Deposing Nathan comes an explosive examination of identity, voice, and the indelible ways our stories are rewritten by others. In the beginning, Owen’s story was blank . . . then he was befriended by Lily, the aspiring author who helped him find his voice. Together, the two have spent years navigating first love and amassing an inseparable friend group. But all of it is upended one day when his school’s administration learns Owen’s secret: that he was sexually assaulted by a classmate. In the ensuing investigation, everyone scrambles to hold their worlds together. Owen, still wrestling with his self-destructive thoughts and choices. His father, a mission-driven military vet ready to start a war to find his son’s attacker. The school bureaucrats, who seem most concerned with kowtowing to the local media attention. And Lily, who can’t learn that Owen is the mystery victim everyone is talking about . . . because once she does, it will set off a chain of events that will change their lives forever. Heartbreaking and hopeful, this is a coming-of-age story that explores how we rebuild after the world comes crumbling down.
Reviews with the most likes.
Reading a book by Zack Smedley is a full body experience—a heart-aching, stomach-clenching, mind-absorbing, eyes-moving-at-lightening-speed-across-the-page experience. At least it is for me, because I am so incredibly engrossed by the stories he creates. I probably said all of this in my review for his debut novel, Deposing Nathan, but it couldn't be more true. I'm speechless, yet I have so much to say.
For the first half of the book, I thought it would be a 4-star review from me. It was real