TW: sexual assault

It’s so easy for writers to ineffectively describe sexual assault. It’s such a complicated and emotional topic, and not everyone knows what it’s like to experience that kind of trauma (which leads to some inauthentic depictions). So, I always approach these kinds of novels with a little trepidation. Luckily, I was in good hands with Ela Lee. Her novel, “Jaded,” is a powerful piece of fiction that succeeds in realistically describing the aftermath of an assault.

The book follows Jade, an up-and-coming lawyer at a big-wig law firm. She’s madly in love with her long-term boyfriend, but she still finds time to maintain her relationship with her immigrant parents (who sacrificed so much to ensure that Jade became the successful woman she turned out to be). When Jade is sexually assaulted by a co-worker after a company party, her carefully curated world falls apart. Few people can write descriptions of flashbacks, panic attacks and nightmares as well as Lee has done here. As the reader, I felt like I was enmeshed with Jade’s struggles, especially as her body remembered much more of the assault than her brain did. This haunting and devastating event wreaks havoc on Jade’s life – not only damaging her mental and physical health, but also tearing apart her relationships as well.

But this isn’t just a story about assault and the horrific ripple effect this type of trauma has on a person. It’s also about Jade learning to challenge people’s perceptions of her, as a child of immigrants, as a mixed-race individual, and as a woman. While some of the events in the book made me literally shake with anger, it was a powerful reminder how much discrimination still exists in our world for anyone who isn’t born rich, white, and male.

I feel like this novel is sort of quiet in its brilliance, so I’m really hoping it doesn’t fail to appear on people’s TBR lists. It’s truly deserving of a place on your bookshelf. As a survivor myself, I’m grateful that Lee took on this challenging subject matter, and I’m even more grateful that she did it with so much skill and heart. I know Jade isn’t a real person, but her story (and all of the stories like hers) matter so much, and it’s truly a credit to Lee’s stellar writing that it had such an impact on me.

5 stars

*Free ARC provided by Simon & Schuster in exchange for an honest review*