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Nov 17, 2010

Tatiana rated it:

I've seen this book recommended as a companion novel to Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak and really, the main character of Inexcusable, Keir, could have easily been IT.

The novel starts with Keir's friend, Gigi, screaming at him, accusing him of rape.

I am so sorry.
"What are you sorry for, Keir?" Gigi screams again, grabbing me by where my lapels would be if I had a jacket on, or a shirt, or anything. She can't get a purchase because I have no clothes, and ver More...

5 comments like (13 people liked it)

Sep 27, 2007

Lacey rated it:

I've been wanting to read this book since before it was published. It's about a high school boy whose girlfriend accuses him of raping her. He doesn't think he's capable of rape and he doesn't think that what happened really was rape.

I was hoping that this book would explore the gray areas and the differences in perspective when it comes to a girl's experience of rape vs. a boy's perception of it. I was hoping it would enlighten readers -- male readers especially -- that just because More...

2 comments like (4 people liked it)

May 21, 2008

Adriana rated it:

After reading a lot of good reviews (from the likes of Hornbook, VOYA, Kirkus, and School Library Journal) I thought that this book was going to be amazing, but honestly I felt a little let down. It's true that hearing the "bad guys" point of view is refreshing, and the book is well-written, but half the time I just wanted Keir to realize already that he was making up excuses for himself and acting like a total jerk. Maybe that was the point, but I just didn't feel engaged. I think More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

May 01, 2008

Luke rated it:

This was not exactly a good book...I tried to read it for quite awhile (thirty pages or so...way more than I should have given it) The main character, Keir, is having a fight with his girlfriend because he supposedly did something wrong and he doesn't remember. The book rambles on for about two hundred pages (or so I have been led to believe from the first thirty) and then gives a horrible ending. (I was too curious) I would never recommend this!

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Nov 12, 2010

Shelby rated it:

This book was incredible. The story was a very scary one, but I loved the book. It had a very unique way of telling the story. It was sort of flashback theme that eventually led up to present time. This made it hard to understand at first but once you got it everything just seemed to click. Books that do this are my favorite. I thought it was given in a very risky perspective but that’s what made the book what it was. It wouldn’t have been the same if we would have known that Keir had been lying More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Apr 23, 2010

Jahaira rated it:

the book is about this guy named keir sarafian and he is a senior at high school. he is in love with a girl named Gigi but Gigi has a boyfriend. but keir and gigi are really good friends. so at the day of the graduation i believe keir goes to see his sister to college but gigi goes with him and since there was nobody and it was late they spent the night there. but supposevely keir raped gigi. it doesnt really has a lot of details in what really happened,so keir does not remember doing such a thi More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 20, 2011

Sarah rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 26, 2007

Patrick rated it:

One of the most controversial and debated novels of 2005, this National Book Award finalist shows the awful results of passion that burns out of control. The narrator, Keir Sarafian, is a self-proclaimed "good guy" who describes his good life, loving family, and athletic success. But the reader slowly comes to realize that what Keir says and what the truth is are not always the same. The good guy persona melts away as Kier describes events that happen around him or to him, but they're More...

1 comment like (3 people liked it)

Jan 25, 2009

Jaemi rated it:

This is a small, rather unassuming looking little book that packs a punch. The day I started it, a friend asked "So what's inexcusable?" and I said, "As far as I can tell, the main character is."

Entering in the midst of a fight, you get off on wobbly feet. One half of the fight thinks he's right, and the other half thinks he's insane. So Keir Sarafian sets about telling us what a good guy he is, documenting it, and rationalizing the instances where it seems he migh More...

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Feb 04, 2012

Chris rated it:

Summary (From School Library Journal)
Keir is a senior who fancies himself a lovable rogue. So do his widowed father, his older sisters, and his classmates. He likes being liked; he just doesn't do well with involvement. Keir would never do anything to hurt anyone intentionally–or would he? When he tackles and cripples a member of an opposing football team, it's determined to be an accident–one that earns him the good-humored nickname, Killer. When he and his buddies destroy a town More...

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Dec 13, 2011

Brit rated it:

Inexcusable, by Chris Lynch is a surreal, and haunting account of the event which changed the lives of two teens. Keir, a high school senior, and all around “good kid,” in his opinion, but he becomes less popular due to his substance abuse, and aggressive behavior. After accidentally paralyzing a player on the opposing football team, Keir has been dubbed “Killer.” As he tries to explain himself to the reader, there are some clues that may be slightly unsettling; bulling the kids on the soccer te More...

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Dec 12, 2011

E rated it:

18-year-old Kier holds girl-of-his-dreams Gigi hostage in a dorm room while trying to convince her that he’s a good guy and hasn’t raped her. In order to exculpate himself he explains to the reader how his various misdeeds of the past year should not be interpreted as supporting evidence of rape.

This would make a great book for teen reading groups, because of its treatment of acquaintance rape and consent. I'm sure it would spark some good discussion.

***SPOILERS BE More...

0 comments like

Dec 04, 2011

Jill rated it:

Chris Lynch's Inexcusable follows the man's side of a rape. Keir Sarafian says he is "a good guy" and that good guys "don't do bad things." He attempts to convince the reader and Gigi Boudakian that a good guy couldn't possibly have done what she is claiming he did. The first chapter introduces you immediately to the rape and what is going through Keir's mind.

I feel this book did a good job of portraying an out-of-control high school athlete. I didn't love reading h More...

0 comments like

Nov 07, 2011

Melissa added it

Summary: Keir thinks of himself as a god guy. He gets good grades, is on the football team and has a great relationship with his father. But there are some who think otherwise. He is known as "Killer" to his classmates because of an incident during a football game where he disabled one of the players. It was an accident but it is the start of a whole new Keir. He starts to wreake havoc on the school property with his football buddies and he does drugs with them. But he still convinces More...

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Oct 28, 2011

Alicia rated it:

A story of “rape” from the potential rapist’s perspective. Keir is repeatedly said to be a “good guy,” so he believes that there’s no way that he could have raped the girl he loves—she says otherwise. The book moves between present day—just after the rape—to flashbacks that explain Keir’s character and thought processes until the two storylines meet. Through having the story told through the rapist’s perspective and not showing the actual rape until the final pages, the concrete ideas about rape More...

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Oct 06, 2011

Kelly rated it:

I liked this book. I liked how it was told with a bit of "flashback" here and there. I felt it made it so I wanted to find out the whole story, which I did at the very end of the book. I think students would relate to this as they could see how quickly things can get out of control when drugs and alcohol are present anywhere. The book jacket said it was a must read for boys but I think girls would learn something from it also.

This is the story of Kier Sarafian, who as narrat More...

0 comments like

Sep 16, 2011

Najentel rated it:

Inexcusable by Chris Lynch

Summary:
Keir Sarafian thinks he’s a good guy, even though he may have done some things that a good guy wouldn’t do. He doesn’t know why he did those things, but he knows that doesn’t mean he’s not a good guy. So why does his friend, GiGi, insist that he is not good? Why does she insist that he has done something so inexcusable, something a good guy would never do?
Inexcusable takes you along on Keir’s journey to understanding his actions. In h More...

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Sep 16, 2011

Steve rated it:

Summary:

No means No! We are introduced to Keir Sarafian a jock that thinks too much of himself and always refers to himself as “a good guy.” Keir is in love with Gigi Boudakian who is in a relationship with Carl who is an Air Force man. Throughout the book there is a lot of drinking done by Keir. Keir is close with his father Ray and with his sisters Fran and Mary. I believe Keir to have no conscious because of the football accident he was involved in. He kept saying he did not More...

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Sep 15, 2011

Christetta rated it:

Summary:
Keir Sarafian is a football kicker, a senior and an all around “good guy”, so he says. Keir describes events from the past as he deals with the present situation of being alone with his target of affection, Gigi Boudakian, who is in hysterics. As Keir explains his actions from the past and justifies every questionable action he’s ever taken, it becomes clear that he is disillusioned by his own self image which is further complicated with the use of alcohol and drugs. His backgro More...

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Sep 09, 2011

Dena rated it:

Summary: Keir considers himself to be a "good guy." He's made a reputation for himself on the football team. His grades will get him into the college of his choice. He has a seemingly good relationship with his sisters, and he and his dad appear to have the ideal relationship. Compared to other teens, Kir has managed to stay out of trouble with the exception of a couple of drunken nights at parties and some minor pranks. Which, because Keir is such a good guy, are dismissed as ha More...

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Sep 06, 2011

Elaine rated it:

Keir Sarafian is a decent football player, a good friend, and a good family member. Keir does things as he's told and is very obedient. His sisters, Mary and Fran, are currently at college when Keir accidentally injures someone during one of his games and suddenly gets his nickname "killer". Keir is interested in a girl named Gigi but she already has a boyfriend, Carl. One day the quarterback, Ken, gave Keir some pills to intake. Carl is being held back by the air force and Gigi More...

0 comments like

Sep 02, 2011

Lori rated it:

Summary
Keir Serafian likes to be liked and thinks of himself as a "good guy." He is a star on the high school football team. Keir lives the bachelor life with his father who is a widow. He likes to hang out with his jock friends and the girl that he loves, Gigi Boudakian. One problem, Gigi is in love with another guy named Carl, who is in the military. Keir enjoys going out and having fun with his friends and never means any harm. One night Keir is filled with alcohol and dru More...

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Aug 27, 2011

Aaron rated it:

"Inexcusable" is a male teenager's tale of his own misperceptions. This unfortunate coming of age story finds our main character, Keir, in a bout with self-perception. Author Chris Lynch does an amazing job of painting a high-school senior athlete's view of the world around him and possible view of the future. Lynch writes this story in a criss-cross fashion, beginning with the "almost end" first. The two stories, the end scene and the events leading to, leave the reade More...

0 comments like

Aug 18, 2011

Erica rated it:

This was a book that sounded so good, and it just didn't live up to my expectations. From page 1, readers learn about Keir and all the things he's done where he procedes to tell readers he's a good boy, monsters wouldn't do those things. I think the premise of the book could make a really great book, I just think Inexcusable could've been strengthened in some areas

I felt like with the topic of the book, it should have been really emotional and touching, but I didn't really have any e More...

0 comments like

Aug 11, 2011

Makena rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like

Jun 26, 2011

Bethany rated it:

This book had an interesting premise. Told from the point of view of Keir, it details his senior year of high school, though it bounces from the present to past often (and sometimes that makes the reading a bit difficult.) Keir is probably the most unreliable narrator out of any book I've ever read. He is constantly trying to show how he's really a good guy, making excuses for everything he does in the book--crippling a player in a football game (which was not an illegal hit; I think the prob More...

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Jun 26, 2011

Dominic rated it:

Every two minutes, someone in America is raped. It's still pretty crazy, despite all the efforts to stop rape, to imagine something like that still goes on to such an extent. But that's why Chris Lynch's short YA novel is an important one. It's a unique take on the cautionary rape tale in that Lynch takes us into the mind of the rapist.

The premise is very intriguing--and pretty haunting too. Kier is the narrator, and is told on page one that he just raped a girl. Of course he de More...

2 comments like

Jun 06, 2011

Jessica rated it:

I thought this book was pretty good. I liked it more because of the moral lessons it teaches than anything else. As a creative writer, I was very much put-off by the format of this book, how it jumps from real-time to back story, then real-time and back story all the way up until real-time and back story meet up. The real-time segments seemed repetitive and, for the most part, pointless because they pulled me away from what was happening in the much more interesting back story. I also strongly d More...

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Apr 07, 2011

Cassy rated it:

Kier has had a great time living with his dad and enjoying his high school years. He loves his family very dearly, and can't wait to join his two sisters at Norfolk University. He has a great rep as a football team hero and is so close to getting the girl of his dreams. But things start to change, as things in his life start appearing differently, or not as the reader originally thought. Kier is a star football player, but in winning the last game, he accidentally hit a guy from the opposing tea More...

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Apr 04, 2011

Kimberly rated it:

What is a good guy? Keir Sarafian is a good guy, so he thinks. He plays as a kicker for football, that way he cannot hurt people or get hurt by people. Keir is also devoted to his family. The love for his dad and two sisters is undeniable. On Friday and Saturday nights Keir would share with his dad. They played the game Risk for hours on end, never getting tired of it. So how could the girl he loves think he is anything but a good guy? She thinks he has done something so horrible. Keir could nev More...

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