The novel begins with Michael Bordwin, headmaster of Avery Academy, a private school in Vermont, viewing a very sexually graphic tape of an incident in one of the student dorm rooms. 3 male students were visibly raping a 14 year old student. What ensues in the novel are accounts of the people who were close to the students involved: parents, roommates, girlfriends, policemen, journalists, and other members of the Avery Community. Each of those affected by the incident gives his or her own viewpoints as the novel unravels. At times the reader feels empathy toward the parents, who really never saw their sons in the way they were portrayed. Sienna, the victim, is not particularly likeable and is blamed by at least one of the males, as well as, it seems Shreve. The chapters are named for the person who is giving the viewpoint, but not in any chronological order. Until the reader grasps that this is the case, it is a bit confusing. During the course of the book, in almost a domino-like effect, the lives of all those involved changed dramatically. It is not until the very last chapter that we get a full accounting of how the incident happened and the time immediately before that precipitated it.
The way that Bordwin handled the incident upon receiving the tape is reminiscent of how something similar (not a rape or an alcoholic induced one) was dealt with when I was teaching. The ramifications of responding to situation in a manner to keep it quiet in stead of turning it over to authorities outside the institution can backfire and back one into a corner.
The prevailing theme from Testimony reminds us that in one impulsive moment lives can be derailed or destroyed. The consequences are far-reaching and irreversible. This would very well be a book that could be included in a high school English syllabus. It is dramatic and gripping as you work through it and at times the reader just wants to shout NO, that is not the best decision to make. Not my favorite Shreve, but a good one.
