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I loved the book. It was a little difficult to read the actual rape scene, especially knowing it actually happened. But watching the outcome of the story was satisfying and gratifying.
The subject matter of this book is difficult. I am a bit biased in this instance because I am from the same area as Sebold, thus I suspect I may have been more interested in the details of her suburban life than other readers. The beauty of the book is its honesty. She doesn't tell an action-packed gun-slinging story of revenge or redemption. This book tells the story of a woman's rape and what happens afterwards. There is no neat and happy Hollywood ending. Before beginning this book, you should consider what you expect to get from it. A 'recovery' happens within the social context of our (usually imperfect) families, friends and neighbors.
It takes you to dark places, but in going there with her, somehow it makes you feel less alone. However the way she tells the story articulates the often-neglected aspects of the recovery from a trauma. There are also important insights related to how others treat victims of violence. In my opinion the real strength of this book is how she sets the 'recovery' from the rape in the mundane everyday activities of her family life in Pennsylvania and her social life in Syracuse. This is not a book to be read for entertainment or escapism; it is not fiction, nor is it The Lovely Bones II. She lays out the difficult details of her reality.
I read this book at a time in my life when I was dealing with a personal trauma (NB not rape or a physical assault), and I found Sebold's sensitive handling of the subject of recovery superb. There is a lot of detail about the relationships between herself and her family, both before and after the rape. This memoir is beautifully written. Highly recommended, however this is difficult subject matter and if you are a victim of rape or physical trauma you may want to look at numerous reviews before starting this book.
I got this book as a Christmas gift for my sister. She loved the Lovely Bones novel and has so far enjoyed this book as well. Great gift for a special reader or yourself.
After reading many of the great reviews here, I was eager to get my hands on this book - I rushed to Borders and bought it brand new. Instead, I found the tone of the book to be dull and boring. The first couple of chapters were great, but then I lost interest. Still, I continued reading in hopes that the story would pick up pace, provide more personality and emotions. I gave up reading after page 145 (out of 243 pages). I had more fun in traffic school than reading this book.
Sebold's friend is later raped, in an attack which is unlikely to be a coincidence. "Lucky" is a brutally honest, fascinating account of a rape and its aftermath. Sebold is a true hero in that she compromised her own chances for happiness to convict a serial rapist, thereby saving many others. Her friend has no interest in prosecution or in anything but forgetting the incident, and to Sebold, from the outside looking in, her friend's approach results in greater peace of mind.Sebold is ultimately diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder and apparently recovers, but the happier times occur after the book ends (see dedication to her husband and afterword). Sebold is helped by various friends during her years of travail, mostly male friends, but she cannot summon much warmth except for two professors; an assistant DA and others in the legal system; and an aged war veteran.
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