The Damage

Adult mystery 

     "Tony watched his little brother.  They may have misunderstood him.  This wasn't someone who'd been sexually assaulted."

     Many of us, hearing sexual assault or rape, automatically assume that the perpetrator is male and the victim female or a child.  The idea of a man as the victim in this type of violence goes against the stereotyped expectations society too often holds for males and men are too often told to internalize.  In The Damage Caitlin Wahrer creates a narrative centered around what too many of us would consider unthinkable, a narrative where the suspense centers around the unfolding personalities of the central characters.

     Nick is a gay college student with a crush on a self centered jerk.  One night when Chris has stood him up he's at the dive where he'd been waiting for him.  A good looking guy talks him into going to a motel with him.

     " I feel I will never know why this damaged young man has done this to me.  My only hope is that the truth will come out in time, but my introduction to our system has left me with little faith."

     Ray is the alleged assailant.  He's claiming that the sex and the "rough play" were consensual.  He goes on a media offensive starting with a published letter to the editor in which he details his perspective.

     Tony is Nick's older half-brother.  He's been more of a parent to Nick than his alcoholic, self-centered parents.  He's also a problem solver.  It tears him apart to see Nick suffering, especially where the judicial process promises to really drag out.

     Julia, Tony's wife and the mother of their two children, has a sense of how far Nick will go to fix bad situations.  As she gains a renewed grasp of the responsibility he feels for Nick, she begins to worry.  

     Detective Rice, a man close to retiring from a long career, has been assigned to the case.  Could he be getting close enough to the victim to be losing his perspective?

     By telling the story through the voices of the main characters, Wahrer brings them to life as complex individuals.  The Damage reminds me of Stephen King's more character centered works in which the evil lies not in vampires or plagues, but in the human heart.

On a purrrsonal note, well it was a short school week.  Monday I met with my internship professor to find out what I have to do for academic showcase.  People were painting mirrors.  But glass breaks.  So I painted a rock I'd found on the railroad tracks.  I made a Goodwill run and found a Christmas cat sweater.  Today I worked dish room.  But it was super easy because most of the students who eat at Hilltop had gone home.  Now I have five days off.  Eugene and I are going to the in-laws for Thanksgiving dinner.  I just did a rapid test to make sure I'm safe to be around my medically fragile mother-in-law. (Jules)

All the other days she'll be home with her best little friend in the world namely me.  (Tobago)

A great big shout out goes out to you, our readers.  We hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with lots to be thankful for.

Tobago and Jules Hathaway 

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