South of Forgiveness

June 15, 2017

When she was 16 years old, Elva was raped by her first boyfriend, Australian exchange student Stranger. The experience sent her into a spiral of shame, rage, and self-harm, and also drove her later career as a playwright, journalist, and speaker on the subject of sexual violence. Eleven years later, she contacted Stranger and they began a correspondence. They finally met in 2015, in Cape Town, South Africa, where they worked toward an understanding of the experience and how it had shaped both of their lives. Through this challenging and emotional period, they managed to find a place of forgiveness. Elva and Stranger recognize that "forgiveness" isn't a passive action, but one that requires strength and discipline and that allows a person to move forward. The authors' TED Talk was controversial, and this book will be as well. While the painful and difficult route the authors took to reach closure may not be for everyone, the insights gained from letting go of the anger are inspiring. VERDICT An essential purchase for women's studies as well as true crime collections.--Deirdre Bray Root, MidPointe Lib. Syst., OH

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