Bibliographic
Information
Inexcusable by
Chris Lynch. Atheneum Books for Young Readers. (2005).
Price: $16.95 for hardback
Pages: 176 for hardback
Plot Summary
Keir Sarafian is a good guy who plays by the rules. Isn’t
his father proud of him? Doesn’t he make decent grades and kick the football
well enough to get a college scholarship? Aren’t his coaches supportive of him when
an accident occurs on the field? Okay, so he permanently injured another player—but
that was an accident. Okay, so he takes the occasional hit of cocaine—but so do
lots of guys. Okay, so he might have made some guys strip naked and held their
heads under water—but it was all in good fun. Okay, so he may have been involved
in a serious act of vandalism—but some other guys must have been involved
because they never would have wrecked the town that way. And okay, he might
have had sex with Gigi Boudakian without her permission—but he loved her. Keir’s
a good guy, right? And good guys aren’t vindictive vandals who rape women. They
just aren’t, okay?
Critical
Evaluation
Inexcusable provides
a riveting look into the mind of a teen rapist. As such, it reads quickly and
just like watching a train wreck about to happen readers will not be able to
look away as Keir justifies not only the rape he committed but the other
questionable choices he has made throughout his senior year. From early on,
readers will suspect that Keir is deluding himself as he constantly reaches out
to readers for reassurance. Their suspicions will be quickly confirmed as they
begin to piece together the reality of Keir’s life that he so studiously avoids—his
father’s alcoholism, his own use of drugs, and his acceptance of some jocks’
violent tendencies among others. Perhaps one of the most powerful parts of the
novel is readers’ responses to Keir. You want to like him and feel sorry for
him. After all, in some ways he really does sound like a good guy that is
committed to his family. As he explains it himself, he loves his father and
sisters and loves playing Risk with his dad. Life is full of difficult
decisions and everyone is bound to make some poor ones. But in feeling sympathy
for Keir readers will question their own values especially when they begin to
learn more and more about his choices in life particularly in how he chooses to
see Gigi. As a result, some readers will feel confused and sickened that they
can simultaneously feel sympathy and revulsion for Keir. Certainly the darkest
truth to be gained from the novel is that there are no doubt many Keirs currently
in the world—teens who believe that what they did couldn’t possibly be wrong
because they had the right intentions. This book is sure to spark many
discussions about rape, honesty, and a parent’s responsibility.
Reader’s
Annotation
Keir Sarafian insists that he is a good guy and good guys
just don’t rape girls. Right?
About the
Author
Splitting his time between Massachusetts and Scotland,
young adult author Chris Lynch not only writes books but teaches at Lesley
University in Cambridge, Massachusetts in the MFA program. He has two children
both of whom are in college.
To learn more about Chris Lynch visit his author profile here.
Genre
Realistic fiction, Sports story
Readalikes
You by Charles
Benoit
·
Another YA author with an unreliable narrator
who was involved in something awful
Speak by Laurie
Halse Anderson
·
A rape story told from the perspective of the
victim.
Liar by Justine
Larbalestier
·
Another story told from the first person
perspective of an unreliable narrator
Tags
12th grade, alcoholic father, football, older
sisters, rape, Risk, senior in high school, single father, soccer
Awards
Won/Lists On
2005—National Book Award Finalist in Young People’s
Literature
2005—School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
2006—ALA Best Books for Young Adults
2010—Abraham Lincoln Illinois High School Book Award
Nominee
Professional
Reviews
Kirkus Reviews
(starred review)
Publishers Weekly
(starred review)
School Library Journal (starred review)
The Horn Book Review (starred review)
Booktalk Ideas
Introduction to the situation (1-3)
This is what is inexcusable:
·
Being lazy in your sports game (17)
·
Not understanding the spirit of the thing (47)
·
Being absent at your younger brother’s graduation
(87)
It Wasn’t Rape
·
I am not a monster (4-5)
·
It was a miscommunication (23-24)
·
No one is innocent (161-62)
Bibliotherapeutic
Usefulness
This novel could be used to discuss why rape is not okay.
It could also be used to help rapists understand the import of their actions
and to help them heal.
Reading
Level/Interest Level
Reading Level: 5th grade
Interest Level: 9th-12th grade
These levels are according to AR Bookfinder
Challenge
Issues
This book includes the following potentially
controversial elements:
·
Alcoholic father
·
Hazing
·
Illegal drug use
·
Lord’s name in vain
·
Masturbation
·
Profanity
·
Rape
·
Single father
·
Underage drinking
·
Vandalism
Librarians can point out that while this book can be
disturbing to read it can help readers gain insight into how rape is justified
which can help readers learn how to refute such arguments.
Why Was This
Included?
I included this book because I was quite curious to see
rape portrayed from the abuser’s viewpoint.
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