Spoilers ahead!!!!: So I first read this book a long time ago, back when I was a teenager when I randomly picked it out at a bookstore. This is the story of Keir Sarafian, a popular athlete about to graduate high school who lives with his widowed dad. His older sisters, Mary and Fran, are in college and don’t visit often. Keir is one of those people who really wants to believe that he is a good person and cannot possibly do anything bad. When he is accused of something bad or even presented with evidence of his wrongdoing (ie video of him participating in vandalism with his teammates) he still can’t own up to his mistakes. He doesn’t think he is that same person he sees or other people see doing bad things. When he injures a rival player during a football game, he describes himself as tackling him “exactly how he was trained to do”. There’s a major disconnect between what Keir sees and what everyone else sees. The chapters alternate between the present (the night after graduation) and the weeks leading up to it. Keir is infatuated with his longtime friend Gigi Boudakian, though she does not seem to share these feelings. Gigi says that Keir has raped her the night after graduation but Keir does not believe her because he does not think he’s capable of doing it, because in Keirs mind he loves her and would never hurt her. Overall, while the story might be difficult for some people to process, I found it interesting and compelling. It discusses difficult topics like rape, drug abuse, dysfunctional families, bullying etc from the perspective of someone who would typically be the “bad guy”. But the story doesn’t defend Keir’s actions or try to make you excuse something inexcusable. That’s a delicate balance and this book comes close. This is a book I’ve read many times over and definitely recommend it.

I read ciberia and im reading this book its AWESOME AND SO IS THE OTHER BOOK.