TW: rape, sexual assault, psychological abuse, groomimg.
This book centres on the grooming and continued rape and sexual assault of a 14 year old girl by her English teacher and how she believed it to be a 'love story' and that he did nothing wrong. This read is very hard but also is extremely well written. When you are able to write and portray the emotions and the genuine way the mind of a groomed child works as well as this then you are an incredible author in my opinion. The chapters switch in time between the years the protagonist was abused and the present day, 2017. Throughout the chapters that detail the continued abuse it is very graphic however it perfectly demonstrates how a predator draws in their prey slowly and manipulates their mind set with psychological tactics to make them believe that no one would 'understand their love'. Kate Elizabeth Russell also uses Mr Strane's teaching subject to her advantage to help instill in the reader other accounts of grooming in literature like Lolita and I really think she did a great job with this entire book. For me the main reason I have given it 5 stars is because if you were to read this as a teen it perfectly demonstrates behaviours and tell tale signs of early abuse of power and grooming which could save someone from going through this trauma. Overall I highly recommend this book as long as you are prepared for a tough read.