So I'm loving the Jan Jordan books at the moment, this woman is amazing. This book details the paths through the justice system of several of Malcom Rewa's victims, from their attacks through to verdicts, support systems and final convictions.
The thing I liked most about this book was the way it focused solely on the victims, apart from an appendix at the end there was very little about Malcom Rewa, he was also referred to as 'MR' throughout the book which seemed to make him something less than the women who's lives who ruined. In so many books about serial killers/rapists or other criminals, so much focus is put on the perpetrator and almost none on the victims who survived or died. It was nice to finally read a book that focused on the victim rather than just the profile of the criminal.
The interviews are done remarkably well, and I truly think this book is one that so many people could identify with. I remember while I was reading it I kept almost bursting into tears from similarities to my own thoughts and experiences, she interviewed enough women so that there were a range of perspectives about each part of the process and it acted as a good measure of how they were treated by the police as well more widely as a whole.
It was also useful in the way that it detailed about how the women of certain ages were more or less affected by the rape compared to the attack as a whole. As well as detailing what were and weren't helpful responses by friends and families which I think is a very useful tool for anyone that knows or is close to a rape survivor, there are so many reactions that while in some opinions may seem helpful at the time can actually further victimisation.
It also served as an indicator of how our justice system can put a victim on trial rather than a perpetrator. The adversarial justice system which is used here can often cause a lot of trauma for the victim even beyond the attack, a lot of the women in the book remarked they detested the defense attorney almost as much or more than they did Rewa. It opens up a forum for discussion about whether an adversarial system is helpful for victims and whether perhaps there should be some sort of inquiry into whether this system should be universal or whether something could be changed around to help the victims. As a survivor of PTSD myself, I know how hard it can be to go through everything again even after the event. It also analysed in detail the work of victim support agencies and counselors. It was helpful to discover again what helped and what didn't and the way even though some women did not like their first counselor, they found the second one a lot better. It also helped to show how common rape and sexual assault are with several of the women commenting that many people came forward and told them about their own experiences.
Obviously this book is unique in New Zealand and also rare over the world, so many people do not realise that rape and sexual assaults are almost always not just an attack but something that feels like it's drained you of life and you still have to go on living. This book portrayed that so well. The whole time I was reading it, I was amazed by the amount of knowledge anyone would gain from reading this.
I would recommend it to anyone: victims, friends of victims, police, lawyers, judges, politicians, would-be rapists, etc.
Truly amazing book, best non-fiction book I have ever read
Next up: The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
No comments:
Post a Comment