Asking for It

By: Louise O'Neill

Narrated by: Aoife McMahon

Length: 8 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's Summary

In a small town where everyone knows everyone, Emma O'Donovan is different. She is the special one - beautiful, popular, powerful. And she works hard to keep it that way. Until that night....

Now she's an embarrassment. Now she's just a slut. Now she is nothing. And those pictures - those pictures that everyone has seen - mean she can never forget.

For fans of Caitlin Moran, Marian Keyes and Jodi Picoult. The award-winning, best-selling novel about the life-shattering impact of sexual assault, rape and how victims are treated.

Book of the Year at the Irish Book Awards 2015

©2015 Louise O'Neill (P)2017 WF Howes Ltd.

Emotional wonderfulness

When I heard about this book, I knew I want to listen to it. And it was a really great decision.

I got emotional many times (I almost cried at times).

I would describe it as a painful picture of the reality.

An emotional, heart wrenching story

A beautifully complex story that gets to the heart of many issues facing society today.

Scalpel to Irish culture

You'll never think about home the same way again. It's an uncomfortable read at times but very on the bone

Every 16 year old girl should read this!

This is a powerful insight into how having a few to many drinks can lead to your life and your family’s life can be turned upside down! I am 60 and would say but for the grace of god go I !!

Rocked to the core

This is a very important for all members of society. Let it challenge your beliefs and understanding of consent. Let your children and young relatives in on the book content and lessons it provides

Heartbreaking

Very hard book, emotionally draining, but it should be read in schools. Captures trauma in a way I didn’t think was possible.

superb insight

superb insight into the dark, gossip ridden, emotionally manipulating imprisonment of the modern Irish mindset

Compelling!

I wasn't sure I would continue with this after the 6th chapter or so. However, a little further on and it became very interesting. The protagonist is not a likeable character. Nevertheless, it was easy to empathise with her. The story is an excellent analysis of the emotional and interactional fall-out of the awful event. It is dark in many ways. Despite this, in the later chapters, I literally could not put it down. The story itself loses one star for me because the ending felt inadequate. I don't mind a book ending without all of the threads tied-up, but this cried out for another couple of chapters. Aoife McMahon is always an excellent narrator, but she excelled herself here. Truly exceptional narration.

Could have listened to 10 more chapters

Slow to start but such an incredible read/listen, the way Louise writes to make you feel deeply for this character is incredible, a book every young woman needs to read.

Ended too soon!

Believable but disappointing end. I feel upset that justice wasn't served and guilt of the wrong kind prospered

hard hitting story line

very relevant storyline, thought it ended a.bit abruptly though. don't think the narrator was the right one for this.book