Review: Any Man by Amber Tamblyn

Any Man by Amber Tamblyn

Expected Publication: June 26, 2018

Publisher: Harper Perennial

Format: via Edelweiss

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis

A violent serial rapist is on the loose, who goes by the name Maude. She hunts for men at bars, online, at home— the place doesn’t matter, neither does the man. Her victims then must live the aftermath of their assault in the form of doubt from the police, feelings of shame alienation from their friends and family and the haunting of a horrible woman who becomes the phantom on which society projects its greatest fears, fascinations and even misogyny. All the while the police are without leads and the media hound the victims, publicly dissecting the details of their attack.

What is extraordinary is how as years pass these men learn to heal, by banding together and finding a space to raise their voices. Told in alternating viewpoints signature to each voice and experience of the victim, these pages crackle with emotion, ranging from horror to breathtaking empathy.

As bold as it is timely, Any Man paints a searing portrait of survival and is a tribute to those who have lived through the nightmare of sexual assault.

My Thoughts

Any Man is like no novel I have ever read. In this read, we met men victims who are left assaulted by a female they named Maude. We get to know each victim and we hear of the assault that they dealt with by Maude. Some cases are worse than others but nevertheless, each one is gruesome and we are left to wonder why did she do this? Did she do this as revenge, was it personal, or was this just some sick and twisted individual who did this for kicks.

This novel really brings up some great questions, it shows us that sexual assaults towards men happen more than we realize. Due to the stigma, they are even more unaccounted for because of the shame of it. People tend to think how can a woman overpower a man like that and rape him. He must have wanted it and enjoyed it. Society can't begin to understand and comprehend that a man could possibly be a victim.

I cant begin to shine enough praise on this read. It opened by eyes to what goes on, this isn’t a pretty read its raw, uncomfortable and at times hard to read but its one we all need to read. We have to open up our eyes to whats going on and know there are more victims that hide in shadows and we must let them know that they shouldn’t be afraid to report these crimes.

Maude has to be the most diabolical character I have ever read. Even though we don’t really get to know her until the end and at that, it’s a small insight into her she is pure evil in my eyes. The things she does and how she gets her victims is just… I honestly don’t have the words to express it. I do know though she is so complex that she is intriguing at the same time. Amber Tamblyn gives us a novel that is so on point for this moment in time but with a twist that makes us see things differently. This is one read that while is a hard subject is one that we all need to learn more of and understand. This is a topic that definitely needs more discussion and this novel can be the thing to get the ball rolling.