The Masons are a perfect family, with every piece of their family portrait firmly in place. They have high hopes for their children's success, and the money to give them the world. Elizabeth Mason grew up with every advantage in life, her parents sparing no expense on her education and upbringing. Now, on the verge of starting her freshman year at prestigious Layton College, Elizabeth has blossomed into a brilliant and compassionate young woman; if a little entitled and naive.

However, one shattering night will throw Elizabeth Mason's once-tranquil life into spiraling chaos. At a campus party during freshman orientation, she meets Jimmy Andrews - a handsome, athletic senior; and a popular tennis phenom. That night, the one thing that Elizabeth never expects to happen to her, does. She is raped.

At first, she tells no one. She numbly slips through her first months of college, keeping her humiliation and shame to herself. Eventually, Elizabeth's self-imposed isolation becomes too much for her and she reports the assault - a decision that launches her on a personal crusade; determined to bring Jimmy to justice, by any means necessary.

In this powerful and emotionally poignant novel, Avery Corman explores the devastating repercussions - both private and public - of campus date rape and the double standard that surrounds sexuality for both young men and women. In my opinion, this book deals with a subject which is just as topical and significant now as it was at the time that this book was written.

As I've said before, Mr. Corman is a new author for me, and this is the first book of his that I've ever read - although, Mareena and I did see the movie adaptation of his 1977 book Kramer vs. Kramer when it was broadcast on television about four years ago. I give this book a definite A+! and I am eagerly looking for more books by this author to put on my Wish List. ( )

Het universiteitsleven en het leven van jongeren in het algemeen heeft in Amerika een heel eigen gezicht en dat gezicht wordt van de eerste tot de laatste bladzijde heel open getoond. Een suksesvol meisje wordt op het eerste het beste studentenfeestje verkracht door een medestudent en de rest van het verhaal laat zien hoe zijzelf in eerste instantie en de studentengemeenschap plus politie later, daarop reageert. Het boek kent uiteraard vele emoties, maar het knappe is, dat de auteur (bekend van het boek 'Kramer versus Kramer') een prachtig strakke, onderkoelde toon gebruikt, die mededeelt, alleen dát. Het is een bijna journalistiek verslag geworden dat tot het einde toe boeit. ( )

The changing family dynamics of a family after a daughter's rape is devestating. ( )