After the Fall

Gr 9 Up—Seventeen-year-old Raychel describes herself as "poor white trash from the Delta," while her best friend, Matt, is the son of a physician and a university professor. They've been friends for so long that Raychel is an unofficial member of Matt's family. Matt has a secret crush on Raychel, but he doesn't act on it, because Raychel has a strict policy of not dating high school boys. So he's surprised when he hears a rumor that Raychel has "hooked up" with Carson Tipton, star of the school baseball team. Matt knows that Raychel often drinks too much at parties, but he's shocked that she'd break her own rule with Carson, of all people. Raychel was chatting with Carson at a local frat party, and when he asked her to continue their conversation outside while he had a smoke, she agreed. But does that mean that she agreed to perform fellatio on him? She feels confused and guilty and is unable to talk with Matt about her experience. At first, this title seems like a well-written examination of the definitions of assault and consent. But as a relationship blossoms between Raychel and Matt's brother, Andrew, questions about communication and honesty emerge even more strongly, and after a family tragedy, grief and guilt are also brought into the mix. Those are some pretty heavy themes for one book to explore, but Hart does a good job of handling her ambitious plot.