Inexcusable by Christopher Lynch has proven to be the type of book you either love or hate. I happen to love it, as much as one can love a dark character study. It is the story of Keir, a teenage boy, who rapes a girl but cannot come to terms with how he as a “good guy” did it. The majority of the book is flashbacks to the previous year as he tries to demonstrate what a good person he really is. But through all of the glimpses into his life, darkness shines rather than goodness. It is an incredible achievement that Lynch has been able to create a character so in denial but allow the reader to realize how damaged the character, his family, and his life truly is.
This type of book is really why I read. Getting into the head of a violent teen boy is something I could never have done without this book. Keir is such a complex character and by the end, the reader feels slightly sickened about the fact that they understand this boy to such an extent having lived in his skin.
Glorious achievement. This is one that I am rooting for to win the Printz or Printz honor this year. I am hoping that the darkness and fearsomeness of the topic does not turn people away, because in the end, it is not a book about rape but a book about what families and society can do to a weak boy.