Well That Left a Dirty Taste in My Mouth

Jodi Picoult novels are a bit of a guilty pleasure. The first one I read, "My Sister's Keeper" touched me. After that I've read several that I found entertaining enough, but nothing special, like Vanishing Acts. Plain Truth and the Pact felt like reading almost the same book. And then I read "The Tenth Circle." The story of Trixie and her boyfriend and the rape she accuses him of upset me. First of all, Trixie lies to the police, several times. She herself brought the date rape drug to the party - though she doesn't know how she ended up consuming it - and then lets the police believe her ex-boyfriend drugged her. There is no suggestion that her ex-boyfriend had any idea that the drugs were even at the party, much less gave them to her. She didn't say no (because by then the drug made her incapable.) A tie was made in the novel to the Yup'ik natives in Alaska, amongst whom her father was raised, and how to them, wishes unspoken were still real. However, the ex-boyfriend kills himself or is killed by one of the family members when his whole life disappears in front of him - he loses his scholarship to play hockey and finds out he will be tried as an adult. With the tendency in society for people to disbelieve accusations of rape, I found the plotline of this novel a disturbing one.