The Testimony by Anita Shreve
By Angelia Menchan • Dec 25th, 2008 • Category: Book Review •
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Three young men, older than eighteen, are videotaped having sex with a fourteen year-old girl. Of course, this is a cut and dry case of sexual assault. Or is it? Of course it is, however, Anita Shreve peels the layers off a story that would seem so simple, but it is very complicated. At the beginning of the novel, the headmaster, Mike Bordwin, is given a videotape and told he has to watch it. After watching the video, and talking to the young people involved, he makes decisions that he feels are in the best interest of the school. What he does not realize is there are other players with other motives and his decisions will end careers, college dreams and marriages. Testimony by Shreve is a novel that reveals many layers of what goes on in a small private school and what can happen when variations of the truth are told.
Ms. Shreve wrote Testimony in such a way that the reader is caught up in the story, but is unsure exactly where it is leading or what will be revealed. The novel’s narrative style unveils the incident through the voices of several characters and how the videotape incident affected their lives. As a reader, I found myself questioning the motives of almost everyone involved, the young girl, the young men, their families and the administrators. The leisurely way in which the story unfolded allowed me to stay entertained, yet on the edge of my seat. Testimony will cause many to think about how one incident can change so many lives and even question the age of consent in some cases.
I recommend this novel to all readers who enjoy well-written, narrative-driven, timely novels.
Angelia Menchan
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Angelia Menchan is wife, mother, mentor and the author of five books, most recently, “Is No Not Clear Enough For You? She is a reviewer for APOOO Exchange Team. Angelia currently works as a Budget Officer, but her most rewarding work experience was as Job Corps Counselor. In her spare time, she loves spending time with her love and reading. Her motto is, “You Get from the Universe, What You Give to the Universe.” She can be contacted at www.angeliavmenchan.com and http://acvermen.blogspot.com
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I have put this on my to purchase list. Sounds intriguing.
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Dera, i think you will like it.
Oh my goodness, I read this a couple of weeks ago and loved it! This is one book that I did not want to end and I haven’t been able to say that in a very long time. Shreve did a great job on this book and I will recommend it all through 2009.
It was pretty wonderful…I love her work!
angelia
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