Fiction, though, is a little bit different. Every survivor has their own story to tell, each equally valid, and they don't owe anyone an interesting, convincing account of it. If this were a real life account of a rape survivor, then things would be different.

There are many thoughts running around in my head about this book and it's hard to decide how to write a review without sounding completely insensitive. I seem to be in the minority on this one. But it also demonstrates one young woman’s strength as she navigates the disappointment and unbearable pains of adolescence, of first love and first heartbreak, of friendships broken and rebuilt, and while learning to embrace a power of survival she never knew she had hidden within her heart. Told in four parts-freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior year-this provocative debut reveals the deep cuts of trauma. Nothing makes sense anymore, and she knows she’s supposed to tell someone what happened but she can’t. What she thought she knew to be true, is now lies. What Eden once loved-who she once loved-she now hates. But the night her brother’s best friend rapes her, Eden’s world capsizes. Starting high school didn’t change who she was. She transitions from a quiet 14-year-old who participates in school activities and has strong familial relationships to a withdrawn and emotionally isolated 18-year-old who abuses alcohol and engages in frequent casual sex.In the tradition of Speak, this extraordinary debut novel shares the unforgettable story of a young woman as she struggles to find strength in the aftermath of an assault.Įden was always good at being good. To counter this-as well as school bullying-Eden embraces her hidden anger.

Eden views herself as a weak victim and blames herself for Kevin’s actions. That girl-who was so naïve and stupid-the kind of girl who could let something like this happen to her” (7). Eden’s transformation is propelled by the impulse to be anything but the girl she once was: “I’m not her anymore. Eden undergoes a major transformation over those four years: from innocent “band-geek nobody” (7) to the school “slut, whore, skank, bitch, whatever” (88).

Eden is the victim of rape just as she begins her freshman year the book follows her throughout high school as she grapples with the aftermath of her assault. Eden “Edy” McCrorey is the protagonist of The Way I Used to Be.

The way i used to be by amber smith