No Virgin has an important story to tell: that of Stacey Woods and her rape.
It’s crystal clear on how it wasn’t her fault – at all – even if she had been previously willing to have sex, said she was ‘no virgin’, and undressed with someone she liked in the build up to a consensual act. There are strong themes of girl power throughout, with Stacey’s best friend, Patrice, never once doubting her or trying to excuse it, girls Stacey has never met before giving her warnings and opening up to her, sharing stories rather than tearing her down, and even her sister with whom she squabbles instantly realises there’s something serious going on and offers to help.
It’s perhaps not the best written book out there – the writing style is very simple and typical of British young adult fiction, which is hard to explain unless you’ve read previously from that niche. However, this doesn’t detract from the meat of the story. In fact, it perhaps makes it all the more effective as the stark reality of what happened to Stacey contrasts the easy reading. There are no flowery adjectives attempting to dress the situation up, either – things are said as they’re found, and this makes me particularly hopeful for the sequel that deals with a court trial.
There also isn’t too much about the characters, but then the book is under 200 pages, so maybe that’s a given. Harry and Stacey are definitely the most fleshed out, with Harry being a complete creep yet exuding charm at their first meeting, and Stacey coming across as both mature and naïve. Other characters, such as Jodie and Dom, appear as stereotypes, which while a lazy thing to do, makes some sense when you remember No Virgin is written from Stacey’s perspective.
Overall, I found this to be more of a gateway into the more taboo topics found in young adult books. There’s grit and harshness to the story, but there’s nothing gruesome about it and it doesn’t feel too extreme so is accessible to those who are more sensitive, or perhaps newer to reading.
It’s crystal clear on how it wasn’t her fault – at all – even if she had been previously willing to have sex, said she was ‘no virgin’, and undressed with someone she liked in the build up to a consensual act. There are strong themes of girl power throughout, with Stacey’s best friend, Patrice, never once doubting her or trying to excuse it, girls Stacey has never met before giving her warnings and opening up to her, sharing stories rather than tearing her down, and even her sister with whom she squabbles instantly realises there’s something serious going on and offers to help.
It’s perhaps not the best written book out there – the writing style is very simple and typical of British young adult fiction, which is hard to explain unless you’ve read previously from that niche. However, this doesn’t detract from the meat of the story. In fact, it perhaps makes it all the more effective as the stark reality of what happened to Stacey contrasts the easy reading. There are no flowery adjectives attempting to dress the situation up, either – things are said as they’re found, and this makes me particularly hopeful for the sequel that deals with a court trial.
There also isn’t too much about the characters, but then the book is under 200 pages, so maybe that’s a given. Harry and Stacey are definitely the most fleshed out, with Harry being a complete creep yet exuding charm at their first meeting, and Stacey coming across as both mature and naïve. Other characters, such as Jodie and Dom, appear as stereotypes, which while a lazy thing to do, makes some sense when you remember No Virgin is written from Stacey’s perspective.
Overall, I found this to be more of a gateway into the more taboo topics found in young adult books. There’s grit and harshness to the story, but there’s nothing gruesome about it and it doesn’t feel too extreme so is accessible to those who are more sensitive, or perhaps newer to reading.