A review by blakehalsey
Sex & Violence by Carrie Mesrobian

5.0

This books is a really moving portrayal of...wait for it...sex and violence. Mesrobian creates a really intriguing character in Evan Carter, a boy for whom sex has always been easy and who finds himself reaping horrible consequences for some of his choices, no matter how undeserved. After getting beat within an inch of his life for messing around with the wrong girl, he retreats to a small town in Minnesota with his distant father. There he struggles through both psychological and physical issues caused by his path, but there he also finds a cycle of healing. What I like about this book is that Mesrobian didn't get preachy--Evan wasn't perfect and whole by the end. He never really reconciled with the girl who got hurt or the girl who helped him see girls in a new, more respectful light, but he found his way. However brief her appearance, I really liked the way he was with Jordan and how he found a way to be with someone without it being all about sex. I still love Baker, though, and hope they remain friends. SEX & VIOLENCE is a wonderful, startling, sometimes painful story, with a great, fresh voice and real, complex characters.