Violation [Paperback]

Darian North (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2, 1999

The most powerful and controversial thriller of the year...

...from the national bestselling author of Bone Deep and Thief Of Souls

Years ago, a woman survived the most horrifying ordeal of her life. Now, the secret past that she's tried so hard to bury is reaching out to claim the one thing she cares for the most...her son.

"Violation has such primal power that the story eventually swallows you up. Not an easy accomplishment for most authors, but North is unlike most suspense writers."--Chicago Tribune

"North mines the deepest human emotions in this gripping and at times very disturbing novel; she grabs us by the heart and doesn't let go."--Redbook

"An involving novel of psychological suspense."--Publishers Weekly

"First rate...harrowing, taut, clear, and compassionate."--Boston Globe

"Fresh and exciting...This well-constructed thriller offers an unsettling, unflinchingly realistic portrayal of the aftermath of rape."--Booklist

"Her best yet."--Kirkus Reviews

Special for the NAL edition--the author herself will discuss the book's themes of rape and recovery

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Raising her teenaged son in a remote Humboldt County, Calif., town, rape victim Althea Auben begins this involving novel of psychological suspense as a reclusive computer researcher hiding from her past. When her son runs away to Thea's Long Island hometown to try to discover his father's identity, Thea's landlord and neighbor, Jack Verrity, a sensitive ex-cop struggling with his own memories, joins her in going after the boy. Together they face the dark secrets in Thea's past and in the process uncover a deadly North Shore real estate scam. The reader easily stays a step ahead of the anxious mother and her detective friend, yet the narrative proves affecting as North (Thief of Souls) provides an empathetic portrait of a rape victim's continuing torment, especially when Thea discovers that her life is not the only one that was shattered, and that a tangled web of secrets still exists. Occasionally, the story defies reason. Why would the detective read a printout of Thea's erotic fantasies (shared in an online chat room) and not suspect trouble? Still, readers absorbed in Thea's transformation from terrified dropout to unswerving avenger won't care about a few lapses of logic. Rights: Aaron Priest Agency.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Edgar Award finalist North returns with this troubling story of a young woman, left comatose and pregnant after a brutal attack, who must confront her past when the son born of that attack, now 13, starts asking about his father. Look for a teaser chapter in the forthcoming paperback editor of Thief of Souls (Signet. ISBN 0-451-18896-9. pap. $5.95).
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Signet (October 2, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451179153
• ISBN-13: 978-0451179159
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,321,163 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Complex and compelling story, December 18, 2002

By 

S. Gould "gouldpjaks" (Woodmere, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Violation (Paperback)

Some events are not easy to forget. For Altea (Thea) Auben that life altering event was the rape and beating that left her comatose and pregnant at seventeen. Now thirteen years later despite little actual memory of the event she remains a fearful and isolated women, the mother of a thirteen year old boy who is beginning to wonder about his father and to rebel against the isolated and abnormal life his mother and he lead.

Thea lives with her son, David, in a remote cabin in the woods of northern California. She has some money in a trust fund and earns a living by doing computer research for distant clients. David spends his time on the computer or reading about astronomy, but he wants to live a more normal life. Her landlord, Jack Verrity, is an ex cop with problems of his own. He befriends David and wonders about the kid's attractive but distant mother.

Though, for David's sake, Thea tries to interact with Jack she is too scarred and scared by her traumatic past to accept a man' presence. Then David runs away to search for his biological father. Thea and her deceased mother have kept the truth about his birth from David but somehow he has discovered that he was conceived on Long Island. At first Thea blames Jack, but soon she is forced to join forces with Jack in the search for her son.

This is a complex story and Darian North provides frightening insight into the obsessive fears and uncontrollable behaviors that are the result of the trauma of rape. This book is very well researched and compassionately written. The story is compelling as are the characters. I'm looking foward to her other books.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant, incredibly moving and disturbing novel, June 22, 2000

By 

Jim (Washington DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Violation (Paperback)

There is no proper way to discuss the emotional wrench thrown into this well written thriller. The characters are both flawed and flawless. The storyline was great, but the discription of the emotional scars suffered after this brutal, sexual assault makes you want to renounce your male identity. I recommended to my son's private school principle that this book should be required reading for all male students over 16 years old. He read it and agreed. This book is wonderful and disturbing at the same time. When I finished the book, my wife immediately asked me if I liked it. I sat there speechless. Not for the faint of heart, but well worth a look.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great story at heart - bad writing on the surface, March 28, 2001

By 

Christopher Cosci - See all my reviews

This review is from: Violation (Paperback)

Violation - **1/2

I hate to criticize a book that tackled such a serious topic in a quite engaing story. Unfortunately, there were too many things that bothered me about the book to recommend it.

The story is great. The main character, Thea, has a disturbing past that creates a series of well-plotted deceptions. The book is fast-paced, so the story never gets bogged down with unnecessary details.

However, the dialogue is absurd in some parts, especially the dialogue from the online chat rooms. The online discussions were written with what looks like no experience actually using chat rooms. And there are some scenes where people's reactions make no sense.

And there was one HUGE flaw in logic involving genetics and skin color that drove me crazy.

While I liked the story and read through the book pretty fast, I just couldn't enjoy this book. Especially near the end with a twist that's really anticlimactic and an explanation that's so rushed, you wish the author had spent a few extra pages to make it more involving.