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A review by litwrite
Savaging the Dark by Christopher Conlon
4.0
Great book but one I'm not sure I would widely recommend due to the choice of topic, which covers the same material as [b:Tampa|17225311|Tampa|Alissa Nutting|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1393784199s/17225311.jpg|23731028] and to a lesser extent, [b:What Was She Thinking? Notes on a Scandal |13258|What Was She Thinking? Notes on a Scandal |Zoë Heller|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1386922976s/13258.jpg|18650].
The direct comparison to Tampa would be more likely as they are both tales told from the perspective of a female child molester - however where Nutting presented her narrator as a straight up unfeeling monster, Conlon's narrator slowly descends into madness and mania throughout the story. Where I think this book shines and where it disturbed me a lot more than Tampa was in its representation of the young male victim - a lot of the things that the boy says felt spot on to what people say are the biggest psychological effects to victims and it was pretty intense to read.
I can't say that I enjoyed it because I was always low level uneasy throughout the whole book but I recognize that it was bravely and well written especially considering the topic.
The direct comparison to Tampa would be more likely as they are both tales told from the perspective of a female child molester - however where Nutting presented her narrator as a straight up unfeeling monster, Conlon's narrator slowly descends into madness and mania throughout the story. Where I think this book shines and where it disturbed me a lot more than Tampa was in its representation of the young male victim - a lot of the things that the boy says felt spot on to what people say are the biggest psychological effects to victims and it was pretty intense to read.
I can't say that I enjoyed it because I was always low level uneasy throughout the whole book but I recognize that it was bravely and well written especially considering the topic.