The Damage
by Caitlin Wahrer
Released June 15, 2021
★★★★☆
What started as a seemingly benign evening out with friends turned into a night of humiliation, pain and a drastic shift in the future of young Nick. His family stands with him - his protective older brother shielding him as he moves into a life of court appearances, shame, self-discovery and healing. Will this family be able to heal from the wounds inflicted? Or will the events cause them to spiral down to an unspeakable place?
I really enjoyed reading this book. With my experience in Canadian Criminal Law and association with victims for similar crimes, I felt that Nick's feelings after the assault were accurate and believable. Even more so, I understand the motivation and rage in Tony after seeing his brother violated in such a way.
Caitlin writes the story in two ways: third person POV from multiple perspectives set in 2015 around the time of the unfortunate events; and third person POV from Rice and Julia's perspectives in a conversation years later. Typically this interaction feels stilted, but I felt this cause appropriate redirection in the plot. It causes the reader to assume one thing, and as things progress this idea is flipped on its head to reveal a completely different plot.
I was a bit afraid that this would turn into a typical crime genre trope - someone commits a crime, detective gets case, evidence is found, perpetrator is apprehended after a few stereotypical interactions; however, this plot keeps you guessing. When you think you've figured it out, it changes again and you're running down a different assumption.
The author fleshed out her characters and their motivations well. The small bits of backstory she provides gives you a more complete picture of who they were and where they came from. I enjoyed the fact that the characters weren't TOO perfect - each had flaws that were either very obvious, or subtle to emphasize certain aspects of their motivations.
The author leaves the conclusion as a less-than-concrete finish, leaving the reader to guess what occurs without real proof that it happens.
This was a very well thought out and written novel. I'd be interested to read more of her work.
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