Told in first person, Rape Girl is about Valerie's experiences after she asserts that a very popular boy at her school raped her. Though the author might have intended to aim for the liberating ending of Speak, another book with similar themes, this book lacked the humor of Speak and the resolution felt flat, not freeing. Points to the author for being frank about the disappointments that rape victims have with the legal system, but after the loss of friends and the disruption of family, readers can only conclude from this book that it never helps a victim to pursue justice. And Valerie is very much a victim in this book.
In the aftermath of a party, Valerie opens her door to a very popular boy who proceeds to rape her. He doesn't think it was rape, and none of the kids at school believe Valerie. They want her to stop persecuting a promising boy with prominence in the local Mormon church. Valerie spends most of the book in a haze, only snapping out of it and back into life after a particularly egregious confrontation with her rapist that was engineered by administrators at her school. Overall Rape Girl is possibly truthful to the experiences of high school rape victims and their experiences with the justice system.
Valerie always wanted to be the smart girl. The pretty girl. The popular girl.
But not the rape girl.
That’s who she is now. Rape Girl. Because everyone seems to think they know the truth about what happened with Adam that day, and they don’t think Valerie’s telling it.
Before, she had a best friend, a crush, and a close-knit family. After, she has a court case, a support group, and a house full of strangers.
The real truth is, nothing will ever be the same.
Rape Girl is the compelling story of a survivor who does the right thing and suffers for it. It is also the story of a young woman’s struggle to find the strength to fight back
