The Damages

By: Genevieve Scott

Narrated by: Ewa Wolniczek

Length: 10 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

Sharp and propulsive, The Damages is an engrossing novel set in motion by the disappearance of a student during an ice storm, and explores themes of memory, trauma, friendship, and identity.

What I remember best about that week in January is trying to keep track of all the lies I told.

1997: For Ros, starting university at Regis is an opportunity for reinvention—a chance to be seen as interesting, to be accepted by the in-crowd, and maybe even get a boyfriend. But when she meets her roommate, Megan, with her pleated jeans and horse-print bedding, she sees her as a social liability. Outside of their dorm room, Ros distances herself from Megan and quickly befriends the cool kids, seeking status at all costs. Just after winter break, an intense ice storm hits campus, triggering a reckless, days-long dorm party, during which Megan goes missing. Ros is blamed for the incident and abruptly dropped by her social circle, casting a shadow over the next two decades of her life.

2020: Ros’s former partner, Lukas, the father of her eleven-year-old son, is accused of a sexual assault. The accusation brings new details of an old story to light, forcing Ros to revisit a dark moment from her past. Ros must take a hard look not only at the father of her child, but also at her own mistakes, her own trauma, and at the supposed liberal period she grew up in.

The Damages is a compelling, thought-provoking novel about the lies we tell other people and the lies we tell ourselves.

©2023 Genevieve Scott (P)2023 Random House Canada

Critic reviews

“A thought-provoking examination of truth, trauma, and memory, briskly and attentively presenting readers with a vivid portrait of one woman’s complicated experiences. A compelling character study that tackles intriguing moral questions.” —Kirkus Reviews

“If you’re looking for a book that will generate a big discussion with your book club, then look no further than The Damages by Genevieve Scott. Scott did a fantastic job at capturing the 90’s and the ice storm…I…felt transported back to those days. I also loved the way she showcases the narcissism of youth and that need to find your place…. This is a propelling and thought provoking book that you just can’t put down.” —The Suburban

“A narrator you won’t be able to get out of your head this summer…. A first and ongoing pleasure of The Damages is the narrating voice of Ros Fisher. In it, there’s candour, a biting sharpness and a bristling impatience with decorum. The opening line—'What I remember best about that week in January is trying to keep track of all the lies I told'—establishes both Ros’s surgical tone and her seeming assuredness in the present day...Ros...as the narrator of a novel she’s a keeper. A testament to Genevieve Scott’s sure hand as a writer, Ros sells the story…. Ros’s voice never falters and the sophomore novel of Scott (Catch My Drift), a Southern Californian who grew up in Toronto, entices, whether she confides moral failings or describes baking a dessert.” —Toronto Star

um no point

The characters were great, the setting great, the narration great; the story, no not at all. I kept waiting for their to be a point or meaning, but nothing. We learned about her college years and then poof it just ends.

Required reading for anyone who lived through the 90’s

This is the best-written and best-read book I’ve “read” in years! The story was so compelling I couldn’t put it down. The characters are so real. The dialogue is so authentic. The inner monologue feels like somebody was looking into my brain sometimes.

The author put into words so much of what it was like to live through the 90s as a young person, and articulated my unformed thoughts, feelings, and confusion. But it was also fun, and funny, and enjoyable to read. It also did business with some of the hardest parts about being human, but wrapped in a package that was still uplifting.

Sooo good. Sad it’s over! Now I have to go buy her first book.