S. F. Prescott

Terrifying, dark, and inspiring.

Winnie M Li is an author and activist, who has worked in the creative industries over three continents.  Taiwanese-American and raised in New Jersey, Winnie studied Folklore and Mythology at Harvard, and later Irish Literature as a George Mitchell Scholar. Since then, she has written for travel guidebooks, produced independent feature films, programmed for film festivals, and developed eco-tourism projects. After earning an MA with Distinction in Creative Writing at Goldsmiths, she now writes across a range of media, including fiction, theatre, journalism, and memoir.

Published September 12th, 2017.

I initially picked up Li’s second book, Complicit, at Rare Birds Bookshop while visiting Scotland a few months ago. But when I discovered her debut novel, Dark Chapter, was based on a personal trauma that occurred while hiking in Northern Ireland, I had to order that too. It was a very dark book and difficult to read at times, considering the author endured such an awful crime. It was also incredibly brave of her to not only relive the experience through a fictional retelling, but to include the perspective of the perpetrator. To even attempt to humanize a person capable of such violence is a remarkable act in itself and for that, I applaud her.

The topic of sexual assault is never an easy one to write about and yet, the author accomplishes it using a direct and almost instructional style of prose, switching between the perspectives of Vivian (the victim), and Johnny (the rapist). The rape scene is brutal as she relays every demeaning act, and leads the reader through the immediate aftermath and realization of the crime, police interviews, and clinical swabbing / screening for STDs. Vivian endures personal and insensitive questions from authorities that women often have to answer when reporting a sex crime, which is one of the main reasons a lot of them go unpunished. Unlike what happened to Li in real life, the rapist, Johnny pleads ‘not guilty’ and Vivian must appear in court to state her case while undergoing degrading questioning about her actions, dating choices, choice of words—the usual. The suspense was palpable and the pace steady throughout. It’s not a light read so if you decide to pick this one up, consider yourself well warned.

For readers who enjoy dark stories inspired by true events and strong female characters.

Synopsis:

Vivian is a cosmopolitan Taiwanese-American tourist who often escapes her busy life in London through adventure and travel. Johnny is a 15-year-old Irish teenager, living a neglected life on the margins of society. He has grown up in a family where crime is customary, violence is a necessity, and everything–and anyone–can be yours for the taking.

As Vivian looks to find her calling professionally, she delights in exploring foreign countries, rolling hillsides, and new cultures. And as a young, single woman, she has grown used to experiencing life on her own. But all of that changes when, on one bright spring afternoon in West Belfast, Vivian’s path collides with Johnny and culminates in a horrifying act of violence.

In the aftermath of the incident, both Johnny and Vivian are forced to confront the chain of events that led to the attack. Vivian must struggle to recapture the woman that she was and the woman she aspired to be, while dealing with a culture and judicial system that treats assault victims as less than human. Johnny, meanwhile, flees to the sanctity of his transitory Irish clan. But when he is finally brought to reckon for his crimes, Vivian learns that justice is not always as swift or as fair as she would hope. Inspired by true events, DARK CHAPTER is both a literary masterpiece and a riveting novel of suspense about of the dark chapters and chance encounters that can irrevocably determine the shape of our lives.