Book Review: "The Damage" by Caitlin Wahrer
“The Damage” by Caitlin Wahrer
Synopsis: Tony has always looked out for his younger brother, Nick. So when he's called to a hospital bed where Nick is lying battered and bruised after a violent sexual assault, his protective instincts flare, and a white-hot rage begins to build.
As a small-town New England lawyer, Tony's wife, Julia, has cases involving kids all the time. When Detective Rice gets assigned to this one, Julia feels they're in good hands. Especially because she senses that Rice, too, understands how things can quickly get complicated. Very complicated.
After all, one moment Nick was having a drink with a handsome stranger; the next, he was at the center of an investigation threatening to tear not only him, but his entire family, apart. And now his attacker, out on bail, is disputing Nick's version of what happened.
As Julia tries to help her brother-in-law, she sees Tony's desire for revenge, to fix things for Nick, getting out of control. Tony is starting to scare her. And before long, she finds herself asking: does she really know what her husband is capable of? Or of what she herself is?
Exploring elements of doubt, tragedy, suspense, and justice, The Damage is an all-consuming read that marks the explosive debut of an extraordinary new writer.
Rating (out of 5): 4.25
Review: I had read some absolutely rave reviews of this debut book from sources I trust, like the NYT. I was a little apprehensive about reading a book about such a violent attack, but the reviews were so solid I knew I had to give this one a try.
The book has a timeline that hops back and forth between 2015 and 2019, and between the voices of Detective Rice, the lead investigator for the case, Julia and Tony Hall, sister-in-law and brother of Nick Hall, the victim of the attack. While this format can be difficult to follow in other books, it was straightforward and easily parsable in this instance.
In a somewhat familiar situation for readers of detective novels, in 2019, Detective Rice is terminally ill and wants to speak to Julia Hall about where the case went wrong. We know from her intense anxiety that something is afoot, but no specifics.
The 2015 timeline can be intense to read. I definitely felt anxious for quite a bit of it. After Nick’s assault, both Nick and his brother and SIL are in crisis, and their terror was palpable. The structure of the novel, though, is so propulsive that we’re very eager to get to the root of what the central mystery is.
There is a surprise ending that you won’t guess, at least not in its totality. It has the feeling of an Agatha Christie tie-up (and that’s absolutely a compliment. I don’t want to reveal too much more, but this is one hell of a debut thriller from an author I can’t wait to read more from.
TL;DR: An excellent debut novel about a little-explored topic (men as victims of sexual violence), with more twists and turns than you could imagine.
Trigger Warnings: Sexual violence, domestic violence
If you liked this; try:
“Defending Jacob” by William Landay (Bookshop | Kindle)
“The Stranger Diaries” by Elly Griffiths (Bookshop | Kindle)
“Long Bright River” by Liz Moore (Bookshop | Kindle) my review here
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