Asking for It

By: Louise O'Neill

Narrated by: Aoife McMahon

Printz Honor Book, 2017

Emma O'Donovan is 18, beautiful, and fearless. It's the beginning of summer in a quiet Irish town and, tonight, she and her friends have dressed to impress. Everyone is at the party, and all eyes are on Emma.

The next morning, Emma's parents discover her collapsed on the doorstop of their home, unconscious. She is disheveled, bleeding, and disoriented, looking as if she had been dumped there.

To her distress, Emma can't remember what happened the night before. All she knows is that none of her friends will respond to her texts. At school, people turn away from her and whisper under their breath. Her mind may be a blank as far as the events of the previous evening, but someone has posted photos of it on Facebook under a fake account, "Easy Emma" - photos she will never be able to forget.

As the photos go viral and a criminal investigation is launched, the community is thrown into tumult. The media descends, neighbors choose sides, and people from all over the world want to talk about her story. Everyone has something to say about Emma.

Contains mature themes.

©2016 Louise O'Neill (P)2017 Tantor

Critic reviews

"O'Neill's powerful novel digs into deep questions about rape culture that are difficult to listen to but essential to consider." ( School Library Journal, starred review)

Very emotional

This was unfortunately very relatable and very real. Definitely a hard read but absolutely worth it to be more informed on how these things affect people.

worst parents ever

like everyone else I hated the ending of this story. the main character was so concerned with making everyone else in her life happy and not inconveniencing them with her assault that she withdraws her complaint from the courts. let me say it again she is made to feel like inconvenience to her friends and family because she was sexually assaulted!! people are more concerned with how this impacts them then how it impacts the actual victim so I guess I can say it is actually pretty true to life there however I am absolutely disgusted at the main characters parents putting their needs above their own Childs that is the one thing that I cannot get past here because as a mother I would never

decent book

The ending could have been better but besides that it's a good book to read.

Aww mannnn.....

I LIKED this... I really did... I wanted to LOVE it, but the end, ughhh... I got so into this crazy main character, until the end... Why'd it have to end that way!?? #Grrrr

Disappointed

too much repetition. didn't like the ending. the narrator was exceptional. I wouldn't recommend it.

An accurate soundtrack

This is a truly accurate depiction of the soundtrack trauma can create inside the mind.

HATE the ending!

The book implies that its ok to let the perpetrators win and to continue in life feeling like a whore and the best thing to do was to turn the other cheek.

Ugh. Sooo disappointing

I wanted to love this book but I can't. To start with the author didn't seem to care much for Emma and gave her no personality or anything for me as a reader to connect with. After the big ugly happened she seeped a little emotion but I already didn't care by that point. I kept listening and hoped the ending would improve my opinion of the story but no. The ending was horrible. It wasn't an end to anything. The story just drops off, no end, no nothing just blah.
I will give the author some credit. She did outline well the problems in the legal system and how the media loves to victimize the victim over and over.

What a horrible message!

I finished this book hoping it would come to a point of redemption or at minimum understanding of what this young woman was going through. The overall message is “shut up so everyone else is happy and live with your unfounded ugliness!”

Are we supposed to feel like her Irish parents are selfish idiots? She has some support but this story is a disgrace to victims.

The narrator was fantastic. I’m not sure how she made it through this without throwing up!