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reader_fictions's review
4.0
Actual rating: 4.5 stars
Ordinarily, I go into books, particularly new releases, knowing next to nothing about them. I don’t read reviews or even blurbs. In this case, I made an exception, because of the fascinatingly wide divide in opinions in the early reviews. April (Good Books and Wine) was the first to read and review Fault Line among the bloggers I know. She gave it four stars. Then Giselle (Xpresso Reads) and Jenni (Alluring Reads) read it and hated pretty much everything about it. Steph (Cuddlebuggery) decided to bump it up her TBR to find out what was going on and really liked it. Obviously, this book is divisive and invites strong reactions. I mention this context because I went into this book from a different perspective, having heard feedback from these various people and with an eye out for detail. That said, read closely and with my mind on the issues that were coming, C. Desir’s Fault Line is a starkly honest portrayal of the emotional, physical, interpersonal, legal, and medical difficulties presented in discovering the truth of what happened in a rape case.
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full review at A Reader of Fictions.
Ordinarily, I go into books, particularly new releases, knowing next to nothing about them. I don’t read reviews or even blurbs. In this case, I made an exception, because of the fascinatingly wide divide in opinions in the early reviews. April (Good Books and Wine) was the first to read and review Fault Line among the bloggers I know. She gave it four stars. Then Giselle (Xpresso Reads) and Jenni (Alluring Reads) read it and hated pretty much everything about it. Steph (Cuddlebuggery) decided to bump it up her TBR to find out what was going on and really liked it. Obviously, this book is divisive and invites strong reactions. I mention this context because I went into this book from a different perspective, having heard feedback from these various people and with an eye out for detail. That said, read closely and with my mind on the issues that were coming, C. Desir’s Fault Line is a starkly honest portrayal of the emotional, physical, interpersonal, legal, and medical difficulties presented in discovering the truth of what happened in a rape case.
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kittyg's review
4.0
Wow well this was a very intense read and that is for sure, I usually don't like non-fantasy friction but I have read a bit more of it recently and this is right up there with some of the far superior ones. The premise is very moving and certainly would resonate with people in a situation such as the book mentions. The general concept is 'what happens after rape' and the story is told from the point of view of Beez who knows the victim.
I think this read was throughly captivating and confusing because you cant help but feel for the characters in a variety of emotions such as love, hate, and lust. They are very believable characters and overall it was a very entrancing read which I kept coming back to and which I think will haunt me for a little bit because of some of the necessary horrors which are included.
Certainly worth a read!!
I think this read was throughly captivating and confusing because you cant help but feel for the characters in a variety of emotions such as love, hate, and lust. They are very believable characters and overall it was a very entrancing read which I kept coming back to and which I think will haunt me for a little bit because of some of the necessary horrors which are included.
Certainly worth a read!!
inlibrisveritas's review
4.0
Oh boy, Fault Line was a really tough cookie. It’s one of those books that leave an impression long after you read it and pulls each emotion from you in a really raw way. Fault Line centers around Ben and his new relationship with Ani, a new girl at his high school and just how much pain and trauma they go through because of one incident. This is by no means an easy or light read, and if you ever pick it up you should be aware that the author does not shy away from the reality of rape. The book has it’s flaws, which I will go over, so I think this is a book that really relies on reader response. So you’ll either enjoy it or you won’t…I think a middle of the road reaction will be rare.
Ben is a character that I initially started out disliking but as the book barreled forward I really started to respect him as a character, despite his flaws. There were moments where he had ‘sex on the brain’ which I’d say is pretty realistic for an active teen guy, based off of most of the guy friends I had in high school. But he’s a good kid and really does have ambition, drive and respect for Ani. When things get tough he doesn’t high tail it and stand on the sidelines, he actively tries…and sure he messes up, but he tries. There were times when I wanted him to step away and leave it, but then moments later I was hoping he would get through to her. I didn’t want him to lose as much as he did. Ani wasn’t the easiest character to like as she’s very blunt and straightforward, but the downward spiral she gets placed on is so severe that it really hurt to see her change and pull away from Ben. We don’t know if Ani is actually raped and neither does Ben or Ani, but I don’t think it’s really about if it happened or not, for me the book was more about the effect that the possibility of rape had on the, and the self blame that occurs after the incidents. Her reaction is a drastic one and it’s not easy to get through.
As I said there are some flaws, but to me they didn’t really bring the story down. The relationship between Ben and Ani isn’t really given the time to develop over the course of the 240 pages and I think if it had been given that time this book would have found a five star rating from me. As it is though we are kind of given the relationship, showed their chemistry and then things start to go downhill. There were moments when Ben’s unwavering loyalty drove me batty, and I think if some fleshing out had occurred then I would have understand him a bit better. We do get a lot of small details about Ben’s family but very few are followed and while I do see it as something could have been fleshed out more, I also know that Ben was barely following as he was caught up in Ani.
Fault Line is a hard read and I don’t see it as something most people can walk away from with no opinion. This is a book about reactions and feelings. I do recommend it but it’s very hesitantly because I know not everyone is going to see the book the same way.
Ben is a character that I initially started out disliking but as the book barreled forward I really started to respect him as a character, despite his flaws. There were moments where he had ‘sex on the brain’ which I’d say is pretty realistic for an active teen guy, based off of most of the guy friends I had in high school. But he’s a good kid and really does have ambition, drive and respect for Ani. When things get tough he doesn’t high tail it and stand on the sidelines, he actively tries…and sure he messes up, but he tries. There were times when I wanted him to step away and leave it, but then moments later I was hoping he would get through to her. I didn’t want him to lose as much as he did. Ani wasn’t the easiest character to like as she’s very blunt and straightforward, but the downward spiral she gets placed on is so severe that it really hurt to see her change and pull away from Ben. We don’t know if Ani is actually raped and neither does Ben or Ani, but I don’t think it’s really about if it happened or not, for me the book was more about the effect that the possibility of rape had on the, and the self blame that occurs after the incidents. Her reaction is a drastic one and it’s not easy to get through.
As I said there are some flaws, but to me they didn’t really bring the story down. The relationship between Ben and Ani isn’t really given the time to develop over the course of the 240 pages and I think if it had been given that time this book would have found a five star rating from me. As it is though we are kind of given the relationship, showed their chemistry and then things start to go downhill. There were moments when Ben’s unwavering loyalty drove me batty, and I think if some fleshing out had occurred then I would have understand him a bit better. We do get a lot of small details about Ben’s family but very few are followed and while I do see it as something could have been fleshed out more, I also know that Ben was barely following as he was caught up in Ani.
Fault Line is a hard read and I don’t see it as something most people can walk away from with no opinion. This is a book about reactions and feelings. I do recommend it but it’s very hesitantly because I know not everyone is going to see the book the same way.
lakshmikalarikkal's review
Don't know what to think...I loathed Annika in the first half...especially that comment about swimming (obviously that doesn't mean that I didn't empathize with her in the latter half). The writing style was weak. But it told a story that needed to be told! It had a mixed race main character!!
alyce6d980's review
2.0
'I thought Ani could be fixed. The pieces of her recemented so everything could be how it was. How we were. Until I saw her on her knees in front of Mr Pinter, his fingers clenched around her ponytail.'
The first sentence automatically got me riled up: I hate books about people trying to fix their girlfriends, it's gross. But the rest of the paragraph shows Christa Desir pulls no punches with her writing, even if it does seem a bit too 'shock factor' for an opening.
It's love at first sight for Ben "Beez" Baptiste and Annika, the new girl in town. He meets her once and starts obsessing about whether he's going to see her at school and if they'll have any classes together, and after two conversations she's inviting him home to meet her mother.
Their relationship starts after they've known each other for a couple of weeks and progresses rather quickly: it's less than two months before Ani tells Ben she loves him, and he - delighted that she's said it first - texts her back proclaiming that he loves her too.
Everything is going smoothly, until Ani goes with her friend Kate to an out of town party. Ben decides not to go with them: he doesn't really know anyone else attending, and he hates the kind of music that they'll be listening to, so it doesn't appeal to him.
He's meant to be meeting Ani the next day, and he's been waiting for hours for her to contact him when he gets a call from Kate, telling him he needs to get to the hospital. Ani was sexually assaulted at the party after her drink was spiked with date rape drugs, and one of her attackers left a lighter inside of her.
News travels quickly, because a couple of other students from their school were at the party. Ben goes crazy and attacks a guy who called Ani "Firecrotch", getting himself suspended, but Ani decides to become what everyone obviously thinks she is. Within a couple of weeks she's fooling around with the majority of the guys in school, including the faculty, despite the fact that her and Ben are still in a relationship.
There's this horrible trope in YA where a teenage girl gets raped and she automatically wants to get back on the horse, throwing herself at any boy who will look at her. I've noticed it a couple of times in the past, but it's most horrendously used in this instance. We're reading from the perspective of someone who knows the victim, and not the victim herself, and Ben uses judgmental language consistently (e.g. "slut" and "whore") even thinking of Ani with the clever nickname the bullies have crafted - "the Manhole". It sickens me.
There just doesn't seem to be any real emotion, or sympathy, throughout this novel.
Read the rest of my review here!
The first sentence automatically got me riled up: I hate books about people trying to fix their girlfriends, it's gross. But the rest of the paragraph shows Christa Desir pulls no punches with her writing, even if it does seem a bit too 'shock factor' for an opening.
It's love at first sight for Ben "Beez" Baptiste and Annika, the new girl in town. He meets her once and starts obsessing about whether he's going to see her at school and if they'll have any classes together, and after two conversations she's inviting him home to meet her mother.
Their relationship starts after they've known each other for a couple of weeks and progresses rather quickly: it's less than two months before Ani tells Ben she loves him, and he - delighted that she's said it first - texts her back proclaiming that he loves her too.
Everything is going smoothly, until Ani goes with her friend Kate to an out of town party. Ben decides not to go with them: he doesn't really know anyone else attending, and he hates the kind of music that they'll be listening to, so it doesn't appeal to him.
He's meant to be meeting Ani the next day, and he's been waiting for hours for her to contact him when he gets a call from Kate, telling him he needs to get to the hospital. Ani was sexually assaulted at the party after her drink was spiked with date rape drugs, and one of her attackers left a lighter inside of her.
News travels quickly, because a couple of other students from their school were at the party. Ben goes crazy and attacks a guy who called Ani "Firecrotch", getting himself suspended, but Ani decides to become what everyone obviously thinks she is. Within a couple of weeks she's fooling around with the majority of the guys in school, including the faculty, despite the fact that her and Ben are still in a relationship.
There's this horrible trope in YA where a teenage girl gets raped and she automatically wants to get back on the horse, throwing herself at any boy who will look at her. I've noticed it a couple of times in the past, but it's most horrendously used in this instance. We're reading from the perspective of someone who knows the victim, and not the victim herself, and Ben uses judgmental language consistently (e.g. "slut" and "whore") even thinking of Ani with the clever nickname the bullies have crafted - "the Manhole". It sickens me.
There just doesn't seem to be any real emotion, or sympathy, throughout this novel.
Read the rest of my review here!
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