Someone I Used to Know

July 30, 2018
A timely novel by Blount (Some Boys) examines how a rape continues to affect a survivor and her family years after the assault. High schooler Ashley Lawrence was sexually assaulted freshman year by her crush—her brother Derek’s football teammate, who was trying to score points for a sort of sexual scavenger hunt. Now filled with rage, pain, and confusion, she tries to find a new normal, while Derek, away at college, struggles with guilt for standing up for his teammate, instead of his sister, when the rape case went to trial. Meanwhile, their parents’ once-happy marriage is dissolving, Ashley’s oldest brother has moved back home, and the siblings’ mother wants the whole family together to share a meal for Thanksgiving. Although the story is formulaic, the alternating viewpoints between Ashley and Derek deepen readers’ understanding of their inner lives, and the story sends a powerful message about rape culture and the ways it’s perpetuated by survivor shaming, toxic masculinity, and the tacit acceptance of harassment. Ages 14–up. Agent: Gregory Evan, Ethan Ellenberg Literary.