Exit, Pursued by a Bear by E.K. Johnston

Exit, Pursued by a Bear

by E.K. Johnston

At cheerleading camp, Hermione is drugged and raped, but she is not sure whether it was one of her teammates or a boy on another team--and in the aftermath she has to deal with the rumors in her small Ontario town, the often awkward reaction of her classmates, the rejection of her boyfriend, the discovery that her best friend, Polly, is gay, and above all the need to remember what happened so that the guilty boy can be brought to justice.

Reviewed by Bianca on

4 of 5 stars

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You’re okay with asking a girl who was wearing a pretty dress and had nice hair, who went to the dance with her cabin mates, who drank from the same punch bowl as everyone else—you’re okay with asking that girl what mistake she made, and you wouldn’t think to ask a boy how he would avoid raping someone? Would it be a better story if she had known what she was drinking? If her skirt had been two inches shorter?


— A book dealing with rape and victim blaming. I loved how empowering this was: how the main character refused to let what happened to her define her, and how she had a strong support system (family, friends, etc.).

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 8 June, 2017: Finished reading
  • 8 June, 2017: Reviewed