My Goodreads and Amazon review of Whidbey: A Novel by T Kira Madden (Rated 5) – Impact Statement. Whidbey: A Novel by T Kira Madden, about a serial rapist named Calvin, is told from the perspectives of two victims and his mother. I read the book with trepidation, knowing it would be a trigger. Reading it took courage; writing it took guts. It’s a testament to Madden’s talent that she portrays these three women with insight, sensitivity, and authenticity. Birdie, raped while still in elementary school, chooses to live her life in the shadows. Her privacy is disrupted when Linzie, who was a young adolescent at the time of her assault, writes a memoir that becomes a best seller. Birdie retreats to Whidbey Island off the coast of Washington State to escape the unwanted attention deflected on her. Through Calvin’s trial and incarceration, his mother Mary Beth remains loving and loyal to her otherwise reviled son. Pitted against one another in this drama, each woman struggles with how she sees herself and how society defines her role. As a novelist myself (see my Amazon author page and Goodreads author page), who strives to make difficult characters understandable, if not likable, I admire Madden’s ability to render each protagonist with depth and honesty; she doesn’t sugar coat the outcomes for the victims or their families. The narrative is painful to read, but worth the emotional investment. Whidbey is a gripping story and valuable book, whatever brings readers to its pages.
A fraught topic, sensitively and honestly handled
Why writers read: “Many people, myself among them, feel better at the mere sight of a book.” – Jane Smiley
