Book Review: Fault Line - Christa Desir

Title: Fault Line

Author: Christa Desir

Release Date: October 1st 2013

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Age Group: Young Adult

Source: eARC from Edelweiss

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Ben could date anyone he wants, but he only has eyes for the new girl — sarcastic free-spirit, Ani. Luckily for Ben, Ani wants him too. She’s everything Ben could ever imagine. Everything he could ever want.

But that all changes after the party. The one Ben misses. The one Ani goes to alone.

Now Ani isn’t the girl she used to be, and Ben can’t sort out the truth from the lies. What really happened, and who is to blame?

Ben wants to help her, but she refuses to be helped. The more she pushes Ben away, the more he wonders if there’s anything he can do to save the girl he loves.

If you're looking for a light, fun YA contemporary, then Fault Line is not the book for you. I'm not the author so I can't know for sure, but I think the book doesn't aim to make its readers love the characters, but to make us understand them and their situations. It definitely did that for me.

Fault Line went straight to my to-read list the moment I first read its synopsis. I knew it was going to be a dark read, so the initial lightness took me by surprise—as did the male POV, which I loved. Ben was a typical teenage boy with a shy and insecure interior hidden behind a naughty and fearless exterior. He actually seemed shallow at first, until bold and daring Ani brought out his true self. The start of their relationship was fun to read, and Desir's realistic portrayal of teens' diverse personalities is commendable.

It's really not that hard to guess what happened to Ani that fateful night, so I'll just get it out here: she was raped. But that's not the entirety of it and I'll leave the rest for when you read the book. Just know that it was f****** messed up and horrific that my jaw just dropped. And this is where Fault Line starts making or breaking it for readers. As one would expect, Ani had a hard time coping after the rape—actually, she didn't. She went on a self-destructive mode but I kept my mind open and put myself in her shoes. If you pick up this book, I suggest you do the same.

What I liked most about Fault Line was how it gave equal focus on how rape affects victims and the victims' loved ones—in this case, Ben.

"Pointing out her alcohol consumption implies she was somehow at fault for what happened. Like she asked to be raped because she was drinking at a party."

Victim-blaming: I am shamefully guilty of it. Being the youngest in my family, years of lectures for me not to do anything stupid that could compromise my safety made me blame Ani for what happened to her. That's also kind of what happened with Ben, but as soon as a rape counselor pointed it out, he tried to take things in stride. Unfortunately, Ani pulled him into a downward spiral. 

The ending was so abrupt that I actually thought my eARC was incomplete or something, but I knew that that was it. I actually liked it because it was realistic and it teaches young ones that they can't face everything on their own and that there's nothing embarrassing in asking for help.

I RECOMMEND THIS if you enjoyed Empty by K.M. Walton or Uses for Boys by Erica Lorraine Scheidt.

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