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Asking For It

the haunting novel from a celebrated voice in feminist fiction

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Asking For It

By: Louise O'Neill
Narrated by: Aoife McMahon
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About this listen

 'A soul-shattering novel that will leave your emotions raw. This story will haunt me forever. Everyone should read it' Guardian

In a small town where everyone knows everyone, Emma O'Donovan is different. She is the special one - beautiful, popular, powerful. And she works hard to keep it that way.

Until that night . . .

Now, she's an embarrassment. Now, she's just a slut. Now, she is nothing.

And those pictures - those pictures that everyone has seen - mean she can never forget.

For fans of Caitlin Moran, Marian Keyes and Jodi Picoult.

BOOK OF THE YEAR AT THE IRISH BOOK AWARDS 2015. The award-winning, bestselling novel about the life-shattering impact of sexual assault, rape and how victims are treated.

(P)2017 WF Howes Ltd©2015 Louise O'Neill Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction

Critic Reviews

'Riveting and essential'
Brilliant, harrowing
A brutal and shocking novel that strikes to the heart of the current debates around consent
'Establishes Louise O'Neill as a literary tour de force'
A difficult, confronting and vital read
Heartbreakingly accurate . . . handled with both sensitivity and unflinching honesty. A compelling and brave story that deserves to be read by all
A stunning portrait of a girl, a family and a town in trouble
A brutal, unflinching look at the culture of slut-shaming and trial by social media. It broke my heart.
A brave and important book about rape culture, sexism and victim-blaming in modern society.
Bold, brave . . . and brutal
O'Neill has a keen ear for the catty argot of teenage girls and her writing is razor sharp . . . unsparing and unsentimental
A razor-sharp look at gender issues - Glasgow Herald
Riveting . . . a timely, gripping and vital novel.
A nuanced and insightful commentary on the intricacies of teenage female friendship and the internal and external pressures that young women face as they reach adulthood
Blistering, unapologetic and vitally important (Anna James)
This unflinching, timely novel asks important questions about rape culture, sexism and social media abuse, tackling taboo themes with subtlety and sensitivity (Anita Sethi)
All stars
Most relevant
A book that highlights the injustice, ignorance and blame mentality. This is not an uncommon scenario, it made me cry, the author and narrator truly brought the devastation of one incidence of the victim and families.
Should be essential reading for all teenagers and their parents.

Harrowing yet unfortunately realistic

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I was really engrossed in this book and then suddenly, it was finished, quiet abruptly. Great subject to choose for a novel, very topical but please, finish the story. I love the narrator and chose this book because Aoife McMahon was reading..

Terrible way to finish a book

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Excellent performance by Aiofe McMahon, as always. Very good book but the ending left too many things open. Wanted a bit more closure. Unfortunately, too frequent and real which made me keep listening and wanting to know what happened.

Love Aiofe McMahon

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