A review by thefinalgirl
Being Lolita: A Memoir by Alisson Wood

“It seems as if no matter how active or passive a girl is, she is still doomed.”

I am deeply saddened by what Alisson Wood went through. This book is quite hard to read because, as a reader, you can see everything completely WRONG with what is happening to her. However, you can also see why she doesn’t KNOW or SEE why is wrong.

SURE, she’s only 17 for about a semester. SURE, she turns 18 and is an adult. SURE, they don’t actually “do anything” until she graduates. Sure.

But he holds power over her, and that is the entire point. The school play? Withholding hall passes until he gets what he wants? “I’ll tell you about mine if you tell me about yours, but this isn’t actually a choice think of what I’m sacrificing for us to even have this conversation”???

The way she showed the “sweet” moments intertwined with the abusive moments show that she is not a reliable narrator for over half of her story. And by the time you realize it… she is telling you herself.

This story is heartbreaking and my heart truly does hurt for her.