"Violul
O poveste de dragoste"

By Joyce Carol Oates

The body can be pieced together, but what do you do with the soul? The world talks, the world judges, the world decides who is guilty and who "is looking for it with a flashlight." The world cannot be impartial, the law should be, it should...

Whoever passes through hell forgets the taste of heaven, and the stigmas pounded in with a 200mm nail remain forever, not even the boomerang effect has the ability to calm the deafening pain of injustice.

The proofs can be countless, the shattering testimonies, yet the prejudices from the mouth of the world have the most destructive possible effect.

J.C. Oates has written the story of a town gripped by the horror of a rape. What follows, its consequences, weave a unique story thanks to the so real characters, created by the writer.

Oates has approached one of the hardest topics that someone can write about, and the strange title fails to harmonize with the content of the novel. For those with a sensitive stomach, you have 2 possibilities, either don't eat anything on the day of reading or choose another book, there is no middle ground.

J.C. Oates puts us face to face with the greatest enemy, with ourselves, and the feeling is not an easy one to digest. In the end, who are the real monsters anyway?!

#citimpentruschimbare #violulopovestededragoste #jcoates #joycecaroloates

This experience leaves you completely shocked, angry, sad, and in pain.

You feel a range of emotions all at once, as if a storm has hit your heart. The shock is like a bolt from the blue, catching you off guard and leaving you speechless. The anger boils within you, fueling a sense of injustice and frustration.

The sadness weighs you down, like a heavy burden that you can't seem to shake off. It fills your heart and brings tears to your eyes. And the pain is physical and emotional, a sharp ache that lingers and refuses to go away.

You are left feeling vulnerable and exposed, as if your world has been turned upside down. But through it all, you know that you must find a way to move forward, to heal, and to find peace within yourself once again.

This was a rather challenging piece to rate.

Firstly, I firmly believe that the book failed to adequately justify its deliberately controversial title. It seemed more like a marketing ploy rather than a meaningful reflection of the content within.

Secondly, while certain sections of the story felt extremely genuine and distressingly realistic, others came across as tired and overused stereotypes. This inconsistency in the quality of the writing made it difficult to fully engage with the narrative.

Thirdly, given that it is a novella, it is understandable that there is limited space to develop each character fully. However, I was still disappointed by the rather superficial treatment of the mother, daughter, and grandmother, whom I was particularly interested in learning more about.

Fourthly, I was truly disappointed with the portrayal of the female prosecutor. The book seemed to set up one man as the rescuer, while leaving all the women in a state of brokenness, ineptitude, or disconnection from one another. This gender dynamic felt rather one-sided and outdated.

At the same time, it cannot be denied that the book was a gripping read. Despite its flaws, it managed to hold my attention from start to finish. (Spoiler alert here, but I tried to keep it vague) I found the choice of a morally-questionable-yet-satisfyingly-retributive resolution to be quite interesting. It added an element of mystery and intrigue to the story, and I also liked the fairy-tale aspect that was incorporated.

Overall, while this book had its strengths, it also had several weaknesses that prevented it from receiving a higher rating.

I really liked the artifice with the people to whom the narrator addressed, as well as the slight change of perspective between lines and chapters. In this way, you could understand the impact of such an event on multiple levels: an attack, a tragedy, a press event, a trauma; how people relate differently to the situation, with completely opposite attitudes towards each other, and how it affects the characters depending on each role in the story.

The presentation of the story is simply objective, something that I find both positive and negative. The author does not try to convince you to take the side of any particular character (although, if you have a good sense of humor and are sane in the head, you know with whom to side