You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
I read this book so that I knew what I was putting on the shelves before it went out. Sex and violence is vulgar, disturbing and daring. It was very difficult to get through and definitely recommended for more mature teens. The reality of Evan's story is compelling and touching. I appreciate that the ending of the book wasn't perfect... Just like the rest of the book.
I picked this book up in the library's YA new books shelf. I'm glad I did. You can read the book description as to what it's about. I like how the author wrote this all in Evan's voice. I enjoyed seeing him recover and learn more about himself in the course of his recovery. His view towards girls also changed as he matured and worked stuff out in his head.
This is not the book to read if you are looking for something uplifting and happy. And I guess the title kinda gives that away.
To begin with, I didn't really feel anything for Evan. He was just a guy who liked having sex with girls and whose father moved him around to lots of new schools. But then he got the shit kicked out of him, and he changed. Throughout most of the book I just felt an overwhelming sadness for Evan. He was going through a traumatic time after what happened to him but also, it really came to light that he didn't have anyone. His father was absent so much of the time, his mother was dead and because of all of the moving that him and his father did, he didn't have any friends. He had no-one.
After his father brought him to Pearl Lake for the summer to try to heal, it was refreshing to see Evan starting to form relationships with other people, to see him start to trust people and to also trust himself to do the right thing. It didn't end with rainbows and good times, but that wouldn't have suited the story. I did like the way it ended though and it made me feel that finally, Evan might have started to be kind to himself.
Thanks to NetGalley for the copy of this book.
To begin with, I didn't really feel anything for Evan. He was just a guy who liked having sex with girls and whose father moved him around to lots of new schools. But then he got the shit kicked out of him, and he changed. Throughout most of the book I just felt an overwhelming sadness for Evan. He was going through a traumatic time after what happened to him but also, it really came to light that he didn't have anyone. His father was absent so much of the time, his mother was dead and because of all of the moving that him and his father did, he didn't have any friends. He had no-one.
After his father brought him to Pearl Lake for the summer to try to heal, it was refreshing to see Evan starting to form relationships with other people, to see him start to trust people and to also trust himself to do the right thing. It didn't end with rainbows and good times, but that wouldn't have suited the story. I did like the way it ended though and it made me feel that finally, Evan might have started to be kind to himself.
Thanks to NetGalley for the copy of this book.
Unrelentingly vulnerable, emotionally raw, convincingly obsessed with girly parts. That is the voice of Mesrobian's Evan Carter--a perpetual "new guy" because of father-initiated moves, Evan has perfected the art of finding the "left of center" girls (read outsider or quirky in some way) and getting down with them.
After a violent incident at the latest school, Evan's father brings him to the small lake cottage of his youth in small-town Minnesota. There Evan will have a chance to learn to become part of a community and find clues to his father's past.
This is not a book for your middle schooler (or possibly younger high schooler either) but I do believe it is a valuable book for young adults (and older) to confront head on attitudes towards sex. Mesrobian runs the gamut here. We have the man-whore main character whose behavior really reflects an inability to connect emotionally, clueless jocks, chastity-vowing girls, teen mothers, girls who are recovering from assault, and horrible, terrible violence.
I'll risk spoilage and let you know up front: this is book about broken people. There is no Disney happily ever after, so if you're looking for feel good YA romance, stay away from this book.
But if you're interested in an unflinchingly honest and convincingly authentic portrayal of teen sex and the ways teens use their relationships to support, harm, and define each other, go get this book now. You will fall in love with Evan despite his cluelessness and perpetual sex-obsessed thoughts, and you'll root for him in all his relationships while still being irritated at his bad choices.
In the end, this book gets five stars because of Evan. Not only does he win your heart, but he makes you reassess a bunch of stereotypes and cultural assumptions about sex, as well as shows you how broken people, while not necessarily getting a soul mate, can have fulfilling relationships anyway.
After a violent incident at the latest school, Evan's father brings him to the small lake cottage of his youth in small-town Minnesota. There Evan will have a chance to learn to become part of a community and find clues to his father's past.
This is not a book for your middle schooler (or possibly younger high schooler either) but I do believe it is a valuable book for young adults (and older) to confront head on attitudes towards sex. Mesrobian runs the gamut here. We have the man-whore main character whose behavior really reflects an inability to connect emotionally, clueless jocks, chastity-vowing girls, teen mothers, girls who are recovering from assault, and horrible, terrible violence.
I'll risk spoilage and let you know up front: this is book about broken people. There is no Disney happily ever after, so if you're looking for feel good YA romance, stay away from this book.
But if you're interested in an unflinchingly honest and convincingly authentic portrayal of teen sex and the ways teens use their relationships to support, harm, and define each other, go get this book now. You will fall in love with Evan despite his cluelessness and perpetual sex-obsessed thoughts, and you'll root for him in all his relationships while still being irritated at his bad choices.
In the end, this book gets five stars because of Evan. Not only does he win your heart, but he makes you reassess a bunch of stereotypes and cultural assumptions about sex, as well as shows you how broken people, while not necessarily getting a soul mate, can have fulfilling relationships anyway.
"Sex and Violence" was one of those books I wanted to read the second I saw the summary. I'm a sucker for good contemporary YA and the promise of a well-drawn male perspective was too much to pass up. Despite its somewhat melodramatic title, I read "Sex and Violence" in one day. Almost one sitting, too, because I kept being drawn back into the story every time I tried to put it down so I could get my chores done.
Evan is used to being the New Guy--in new towns, new schools, and new houses that never feel like home. To make the constant moving more bearable, he hooks up with a different girl, or girls, in each new place he lives. He's become accustomed to brief, casual intimacy without any consequences, until he is brutally beaten in the dorm showers at his boarding school for fooling around with the 'wrong' person. When his dad moves them to his hometown of Pearl Lake, MN, Evan has a chance to build normal relationships with the locals and maybe put his life back together.
I love a good 'recovery from trauma' story as much as the next person, but one of the things I loved about "Sex and Violence" was that it didn't conform to most of the trauma story conventions. Evan's life initially centers around what happened to him, but the more comfortable he becomes in Pearl Lake, the more that trauma fades from the forefront of his mind. Instead of constantly pretending to be normal, Evan's okay a lot of the time. But when he's too much in his own head or exposed to a situation with unpleasant triggers, all his memories of the assault come rushing back. The trauma impacts Evan's life but doesn't halt it, and that felt like one of the most realistic aspects of the story.
The other was Evan's voice. It sounded so real to me, like if I'd managed to get inside the heads of some of the guys I knew in high school, this was what it might have been like. Equal parts crude and funny, open or withdrawn, no facet of Evan's personality felt exaggerated or inexplicable. All of the secondary characters were similarly well-sketched, and it's a testament to Mesrobian that none of them fell victim to cliche or caricature.
My only sort of complaint with the novel is that its pacing tended to drag between the bigger plot points. It never took the easy way out with its many difficult questions, and because of that unflinching realism, I felt that the tension could've been higher overall.
Otherwise I'd recommend "Sex and Violence" to just about anyone. A quiet trauma novel compared to many others, but one lending a perspective that desperately needs to be heard.
Evan is used to being the New Guy--in new towns, new schools, and new houses that never feel like home. To make the constant moving more bearable, he hooks up with a different girl, or girls, in each new place he lives. He's become accustomed to brief, casual intimacy without any consequences, until he is brutally beaten in the dorm showers at his boarding school for fooling around with the 'wrong' person. When his dad moves them to his hometown of Pearl Lake, MN, Evan has a chance to build normal relationships with the locals and maybe put his life back together.
I love a good 'recovery from trauma' story as much as the next person, but one of the things I loved about "Sex and Violence" was that it didn't conform to most of the trauma story conventions. Evan's life initially centers around what happened to him, but the more comfortable he becomes in Pearl Lake, the more that trauma fades from the forefront of his mind. Instead of constantly pretending to be normal, Evan's okay a lot of the time. But when he's too much in his own head or exposed to a situation with unpleasant triggers, all his memories of the assault come rushing back. The trauma impacts Evan's life but doesn't halt it, and that felt like one of the most realistic aspects of the story.
The other was Evan's voice. It sounded so real to me, like if I'd managed to get inside the heads of some of the guys I knew in high school, this was what it might have been like. Equal parts crude and funny, open or withdrawn, no facet of Evan's personality felt exaggerated or inexplicable. All of the secondary characters were similarly well-sketched, and it's a testament to Mesrobian that none of them fell victim to cliche or caricature.
My only sort of complaint with the novel is that its pacing tended to drag between the bigger plot points. It never took the easy way out with its many difficult questions, and because of that unflinching realism, I felt that the tension could've been higher overall.
Otherwise I'd recommend "Sex and Violence" to just about anyone. A quiet trauma novel compared to many others, but one lending a perspective that desperately needs to be heard.
4.5 stars I think this is my favorite of the Morris Award short list and I only have one book to go. This book was not what I expected. It is a rare book where the victim of sex-related violence is male. Evan is not a totally sympathetic character at the beginning. But this story is about his growth and recovery from the trauma. It is about him learning to reconnect with the world and people around him in healthy and appropriate ways. It is about learning to be able to take a shower without having a panic attack.
Full review on my blog: http://writingboutreading.wordpress.com/2014/01/12/dont-let-the-title-fool-you/
Full review on my blog: http://writingboutreading.wordpress.com/2014/01/12/dont-let-the-title-fool-you/
Pretty interesting read about the life of Evan.
I thought my time as a teenager was rough. Compared to some of the stuff he faced, it was tame.
Evans mother is deceased and his fathers job has him constantly moving around, he is always the new guy. His time at his current school is cut short with a horrible situation. WTF is wrong with kids now a days. Didn't your parents teach you the meaning of no? Right from wrong?
Evans dad takes him to his family's cabin for the summer. This is the first real home he has had. He even has friends.
His letters to Colette were a nice touch. Normally this type of thing drives me nuts (they were in every chapter) but in this story they added a second first person narrative.
The ending wasn't my favorite but that's just me.
I thought my time as a teenager was rough. Compared to some of the stuff he faced, it was tame.
Evans mother is deceased and his fathers job has him constantly moving around, he is always the new guy. His time at his current school is cut short with a horrible situation. WTF is wrong with kids now a days. Didn't your parents teach you the meaning of no? Right from wrong?
Evans dad takes him to his family's cabin for the summer. This is the first real home he has had. He even has friends.
His letters to Colette were a nice touch. Normally this type of thing drives me nuts (they were in every chapter) but in this story they added a second first person narrative.
The ending wasn't my favorite but that's just me.
OH MY GOD. Bravo, bravo, bravo. One of the best character developments I've ever read. I loved this book! I loved Evan's narration through the whole book, even though it broke my heart to read his letters to Collette. I loved how Evan referred to his previous outlook on life as "Dirt-Bag Evan." I just wish the book had a different title. In order for me to read it at school, I took painter's tape and taped over "sex"... Oops. I'd diffidently recommend the book. If you've read "Looking for Alaska", then you'll love Baker. Alaska and Baker are so alike, it freaks me out... A very good read.
This is my 'An Imperial Affliction'. What the means for me I'm not quite sure.