A Goodreads user
asked:
Why does Hanya keep referring to the rape Jude experienced with his 'clients' and then Brother Luke as 'sex'? Am I missing something here? Jude never had sex with any of his clients, with brother Luke or with Dr.Taylor, he was raped and was taken advantage of. The only people he actually had sex with were Caleb (initially) then Willem. He never wanted to engage in sexual activities with anyone else in the novel.
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A Little Life,
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Penni
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Henrietta
Because it is in Jude's perspective, its showing to the reader that even after all this time, he is still unable to shake the self blame and responsibility he feels over his abuse. It's mentioned a few times, mostly by Andy, that Jude shouldn't feel ashamed about what he did, but each time he doesn't fully accept it. It's very similar to the way that he refused to accept his disability. For me, that language was what made those scenes so harrowing.
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