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A review by runefactories
None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
I enjoyed this book until ~80% through but the last 20% ruined it! What a shame.
When discussing people who have been victimized and go on to victimize others, it’s important to have nuance and recognize that someone’s abusive actions don’t magically cancel out abuse they previously experienced. You can be a victim and an abuser at the same time - this seems to be a foreign concept in this book. This book had a shred of nuance at first, but it was gone by the end and the author did not handle this important theme responsibly. It was said throughout by multiple “reasonable” characters that a grooming victim actually manipulated the much older man into being with her, with minimal criticism, that it seemed like this was the (gross n misogynistic) point the author was trying to make. The notion that children are responsible for adults’ sexual abuse is always false and I cannot in good faith recommend this book as a result of that notion being promoted. It is always the adult’s responsibility to decline any sexual advances from children. There was so much bullshit at the end abouthow the groomer husband was actually such a nice guy and good dad and aww he loved video games and the twitch chat loved him and Josie is pure evil and so mean and manipulated him into grooming her when she was 14. despite him grooming and raping Josie as a 40yo man, we should totally feel sorry for him now that he’s geriatric and dead lmao. as if! and multiple characters saying that it’s ridiculous to suggest that he might be sexually abusing his daughters even though he has a track record of sexually abusing girls…wild. also calling her a basic b*tch at the end - is that the best you can do? just a typical misogynistic insult? for someone that stole from her, killed her husband, etc. you’d think she’d have more material than that idk I had higher hopes, I’d avoid this one if you don’t want to hear misogynistic crap about how teenage girls can mANiPuLaTe poor little 40+ year old men into relationships
When discussing people who have been victimized and go on to victimize others, it’s important to have nuance and recognize that someone’s abusive actions don’t magically cancel out abuse they previously experienced. You can be a victim and an abuser at the same time - this seems to be a foreign concept in this book. This book had a shred of nuance at first, but it was gone by the end and the author did not handle this important theme responsibly. It was said throughout by multiple “reasonable” characters that a grooming victim actually manipulated the much older man into being with her, with minimal criticism, that it seemed like this was the (gross n misogynistic) point the author was trying to make. The notion that children are responsible for adults’ sexual abuse is always false and I cannot in good faith recommend this book as a result of that notion being promoted. It is always the adult’s responsibility to decline any sexual advances from children. There was so much bullshit at the end about
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Misogyny