Dark Chapter - Gatti Ninja

audio cd

Published July 30, 2019 by Dreamscape Media.

ISBN:: 978-1-9749-7528-0

(1 review)

Vivian is a cosmopolitan Taiwanese-American tourist who often escapes her busy life in London through adventure and travel. Johnny is a fifteen year old Irish teenager, growing up in a family where crime is customary, violence is necessary, and everything and anyone is yours for the taking. Their paths collide one afternoon in West Belfast, culminating in a horrific act of violence. Vivian tries to recapture the woman she was, as she struggles with a culture and judicial system that treats assault victims as less than human. Johnny flees to his transitory Irish clan, but is forced to confront the chain of events leading up to the attack. When Johnny is finally brought to reckon for his crimes, Vivian learns that justice is neither as swift nor as fair as she would hope. Told from both Vivian's and Johnny's perspectives, and inspired by true events, this novel explores how a …

Vivian is a cosmopolitan Taiwanese-American tourist who often escapes her busy life in London through adventure and travel. Johnny is a fifteen year old Irish teenager, growing up in a family where crime is customary, violence is necessary, and everything and anyone is yours for the taking. Their paths collide one afternoon in West Belfast, culminating in a horrific act of violence. Vivian tries to recapture the woman she was, as she struggles with a culture and judicial system that treats assault victims as less than human. Johnny flees to his transitory Irish clan, but is forced to confront the chain of events leading up to the attack. When Johnny is finally brought to reckon for his crimes, Vivian learns that justice is neither as swift nor as fair as she would hope. Told from both Vivian's and Johnny's perspectives, and inspired by true events, this novel explores how a dark chapter can irrevocably determine the shape of our lives.

6 editions

Kadomi reviewed Dark Chapter by Winnie M. Li

Review of 'Dark Chapter' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

CN Rape, Sexual Assault, Violence

This book offers a fictionalized version of the author's own experience with sexual assault, and you can imagine that this alone makes it a tough read at times. The story has two unique PoVs: Vivian Tan, a Chinese-American who lives in the UK, and who likes to travel alone, going on hikes. One fine day she travels to Belfast and goes on a hike there, to be assaulted by the other PoV character, Johnny, a 15 year old boy from an Irish Traveller family, Pavee, and just like Roma discriminated and prejudice against by the general populace. We get a look at his background, coming from a family where domestic violence was common.

The toughest part of course is the actual assault. We experience this in detail, and it's excruciating, painful, to experience this ordeal that Vivian, and the author both, had to live through. …

CN Rape, Sexual Assault, Violence

This book offers a fictionalized version of the author's own experience with sexual assault, and you can imagine that this alone makes it a tough read at times. The story has two unique PoVs: Vivian Tan, a Chinese-American who lives in the UK, and who likes to travel alone, going on hikes. One fine day she travels to Belfast and goes on a hike there, to be assaulted by the other PoV character, Johnny, a 15 year old boy from an Irish Traveller family, Pavee, and just like Roma discriminated and prejudice against by the general populace. We get a look at his background, coming from a family where domestic violence was common.

The toughest part of course is the actual assault. We experience this in detail, and it's excruciating, painful, to experience this ordeal that Vivian, and the author both, had to live through. We also witness the trauma, the depression after the assault, and the difficult time at the trial.

The book left me pretty raw. One of the things that Johnny states in court is that because Vivian was on her own in a lonely park, hiking, she was asking for it. Because she took off her shoes and socks to cross a brook, she was asking for it. Will there ever be a time when a woman can feel safe when she's on her own? For many years I never walked or jogged in the fields because when I was 17 a car chased me into the fields and only stopped following when the path got too narrow. I never forgot this experience. I was lucky. Many women aren't. When will we ever able to feel completely safe?

I would lie if I said I enjoyed this book, but it's well-written, and very...visceral. I am glad I read it.