The fall-out from one drunken night for one school in one town is seemingly endless. When a tape of three male students, and one younger female student falls into the hands of the headmaster, his decision on how to handle it to keep it within school walls has repercussions for many. This book covers the time leading up to that night, the event itself, the fallout for the students, and their families.

This book started out incredibly convoluted for me because it's written in alternating voices. Almost too many to keep straight. And then it alternated between first, second and third person narratives and jumped from two years ago to current many times which didn't really add much for me initially. But the story the book told outweighed the writing style and by the end, I really felt that the book was better for the writing. We're privy to the girl's accusations of rape, the boys' denials of rape, and their stories. Not to mention the girl's roommate who witnessed the initial accusation of rape. Indeed, two of the most heartbreaking voices were Silas, one of the accused, and his girlfriend Noelle. Silas has the most rigid understanding of morals, and right and wrong. And his guilt at his part, and the aftermath for him is painful to read about. The love he felt for his girlfriend was as fierce as I've read about in any book before and his heartache over the betrayal of her, and fearing the hurt he would cause was one of the most resonant aspects of the book.

Altogether, I'd very much recommend this book but I'd add that it's potentially slow going at first and even a bit frustrating initially until you're so immersed in the story that you enjoy the many different accounts.