Addressing my readers’ questions and comments on “Unclutter”

Disclaimer: These questions and comments are from my readers’ reviews of Unclutter: A Survivor’s Story. My intention is to address them in this post to provide facts, and not demean anyone. I’m extremely grateful for ALL the reviews I receive because people spend their precious time writing their thoughts about my book. That means a lot to me.

None of these comments/questions are verbatim.

This post contains very minor spoilers for Unclutter.

1.     I do not agree with the choices that the protagonist made. She could have avoided getting sexually abused.

Chapter one of Unclutter starts with a conflict between the protagonist, Tina Lauren, and the antagonist, Nicholas Parker. During their first meeting, Nicholas tries to sexually harass Tina when she is minding her own business. However, she is rescued by her teacher. Later that day, he tries to touch her without her consent during a press conference at her school, and she publicly hits him in the face. Now, one can question why Tina sat next to him at the conference. If she hadn’t, wouldn’t she have been able to avoid the molestation attempt?

The answer is no. Once a predator has set his mind on a “prey,” he will act. And it’s not the target’s fault they were “chosen.” Let’s not forget Tina was minding her business when Nicholas approached her with lewd intentions. The fact is that she had no choice in this matter.

2.     The protagonist’s healing journey is harrowing, messy, and non-linear.

A mental health worker who works with real survivors has correctly mentioned that my portrayal of Tina’s healing journey is ideal. The harsh reality is that most never speak about their trauma and suffer in silence because of the societal stigma around this subject. That’s why it’s so important to empathize with these survivors and not victimize them. That’s the objective of Unclutter.

3.     Why didn’t Tina and her prosecutor mother file a restraining order against the abuser?

Oh, how I wish it were as simple as that! Without evidence, no system will give the victim a restraining order, even if the applicant is a law professional.

4.     As an author, you could have avoided scenes where Tina is victimized.

Multiple instances in the book exist where people around Tina say or imply, “She asked for it.” Every time I’ve seen a post on social media about a sexual abuse incident, I’ve read at least a handful of comments that blame the survivor. I want this to stop. If readers are uncomfortable or angry reading such scenes (as much as I was while writing them), it means I’ve succeeded a little bit.

5.     Why didn’t the protagonist escape to a different place?

It’s the survivor’s choice. They can stay and fight or escape to protect themselves. Both are correct. Tina chooses the former because she can’t bear to think of the abuser hurting anyone else.

Thank you again to all my readers who took the time to leave a review.

I’m signing off with a quote from the novel:

Nicholas Parker: “You’re my pathetic prey. Don’t you ever forget that!”

Tina Lauren: “I’m neither pathetic nor prey. And I will fight back!”