“Book Review: She Too”
Reviewed by Joe Walters
Talk about a punch in the gut.
Author R. Read thrusts herself into the middle of an important conversation with her debut novel She Too. This book weaves the #metoo conversation into a page-turning mystery and proves to be something truly special.
At the beginning of She Too, Frankie is living her best life. She’s got good friends, plenty of drinks, and good-looking guys wanting to be around her. But on Thursday night, she’s got her eyes set only on Beau, an attractive boater whose team is throwing a house party. Why don’t you come through?
“Beau is mine tonight.” Frankie gulps the liquid then grips the lime with her front teeth to suck out the chaser. “Audrey fuckin Hepburn’s got nothin’ on me.”
Then, all of the sudden, it’s Friday. Frankie wakes up naked in another guy’s bed. Her whole body hurts. Something hazy is going on in her mind.
What happened?
She Too thrives in multiple aspects. First, its fast-paced, accessible nature. The reader continues turning the pages to find out what happened to Frankie, who did it to her, and what ever became of the girl in the red dress. Something about mattresses in the backyard. A broken arm. A hospital.
“Should we believe her? Can she prove it? Does that matter to anyone?”
She Too is told through multiple points of view. From victims to suspects to investigators and police, each new perspective sheds light on this horrific situation that Thursday. The reader gets to know each relevant character involved in the mystery in short snippets of family life, history, and dialogue. And spoiler alert: not everybody understands the breadth of what happened.
The only flaw in this otherwise thought-provoking and powerful new novel is its occasionally over-the-top representation. The reader is met with plenty of vulgarity and sexually aberrant conversation, and while that may feel true in some cases, other times it may feel like a stretch. We understand why the characters are portrayed like this, since the author aims to shed light on the mistreatment of the situation, but sometimes, the villains in She Too are so inhumane that I don’t always believe it.
She Too does succeed in bringing women together and showing that these conversations cannot be swept under the rug. Its powerful message of togetherness and strength comes through clearly and perfectly.
So if you are looking for a #metoo novel, then look no further. This book could get everybody talking, from book clubs to college students. It may be a bit graphic and uncomfortable at times for those who have endured similar issues, but if you are ready to approach this issue, you’ll be all the more grateful that you opened it.
Because we need to hear these things.
And we need to keep talking.
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I thought this book was a fast paced mystery novel that reflects the true-to-life situations that the #MeToo revelations portray and of how prevalent this predatory behaviour actually is. The biggest problem, the dismissal of the victim’s right to be heard and for the need for law enforcement to investigate and pursue the perpetrators, no matter what their social status or gender is. This shows the difficulty and length of time it takes for victims to get help and for predators to have to be held accountable for their crimes. It also shows the results when the predators don’t face consequences for their actions. R. Read handles the story well with honesty and frankness that give this mystery novel a compelling pace that draws you into the story. It is a gripping account of a woman and her pursuit of the truth.