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Rape incidents are the most unreported and most unpunished crimes in the society. It is high time stringent laws are made to punish the offenders.

pixiequeer wrote: ↑05 Aug 2018, 14:44 The repetition of it, from my perspective, is to get the creepy obnoxious feeling from Scordato. He is supposed to be portrayed as a creepy sociopathic killer obsessed with rape and domination of women. If the author only said he wanted to have his way with her only once, it would not have had the same effect. It wouldn't show his obsession. It would just seem like a passing thing he wanted to do, but no longer an obsession.

I respectfully disagree. A villain doesn't have to be a rapist to be scary or evil. Take for example the character Negan from The Walking Dead. We know that he is a murder and an extortionist, and a nasty bully. Yet, never once does he threaten to rape any women. As a matter of fact, he has no tolerance for it.
However, we get that he's a killer, even though he doesn't go around killing people on every page of the graphic novel and/or every scene of the series. We remember what he did to Glenn.

Scordato trying to rape Angela in the office established who he was as a villain. He doesn't have to go around saying "rape, rape, rape." We get that impression from the onset.

I’ve read a lot of contemporary romance novels and unless a main character is dealing with the aftermath of a rape, I feel like it’s never mentioned anywhere near as many times as it was in this book. It ultimately made me very comfortable, and not in a good “edge of your seat” kind of way. I felt it was overdone.

I felt that they could have been toned down. I got uncomfortable reading them...it felt like they were in the book for shock factor, but it just made me want to shower.

Perhaps it was an attempt to show that need for greed and power on the part of Scordato? It did catch my attention at the frequency which is not seen as often in novels because of the sensitivity of the issue.

I actually included this in my review of the book. I even took off a star from the book because of it. I felt like it was over used in the book and it could have easily told the same story with the same (or better) villains in it without the rape jokes and fantasies. I found it turned me off from the book and turned it into something I didn't really enjoy at all. It made the bad guys seem more like a joke than actual people to be feared.

Use of rape has helped in development of plot, characterization and themes. It happens so to a point where the author will kill the some characters. In this case, reader's suspense is created.

I agree that the rape threats were excessive, and I think the whole kidnap and rape scenario has been done to death in books, movies and television. But having said that, I don't think it shouldn't be in the novel. I just feel the rape threat could have been used less, and we would still get a clear impression of what kind of man Scordato is.

I think the issue about rape was meant to spice up the violence, it also keeps you thinking "what next". A good book I would say. I should read it again...

jessinikkip wrote: ↑22 Aug 2018, 17:03 I actually included this in my review of the book. I even took off a star from the book because of it. I felt like it was over used in the book and it could have easily told the same story with the same (or better) villains in it without the rape jokes and fantasies. I found it turned me off from the book and turned it into something I didn't really enjoy at all. It made the bad guys seem more like a joke than actual people to be feared.

Yes, exactly. I found the villains to be very cliche'.

I honestly felt slightly uncomfortable when Scordato would insinuate raping Angela. I know that nothing happened, but there was almost an instance and I got super uncomfortable... I feel like the story could have done without it and just hinted at it instead of acting upon it... but maybe that was the point to make Scordato a sleezeball.

Yeah I can see how you feel, but for me unfortunately that's how the world is. There is always someone looking to take advantage of a female. And most of the books I have read now that I think about it, it was some criminal or bad guy looking to tape a woman, either for sport or to get to the man the wanted to kill. The rape intent, just intensified how evil Scordato was.

The rape jokes and everything is obtainable in modern day society but not to be overdone. ..spiced up with evilscordato .anyways the book is enjoyable and appetising

I felt that they were added to remind us that Scordato was a constant threat to Angela.

Kcrum12 wrote: ↑19 Aug 2018, 19:38

pixiequeer wrote: ↑05 Aug 2018, 14:44 The repetition of it, from my perspective, is to get the creepy obnoxious feeling from Scordato. He is supposed to be portrayed as a creepy sociopathic killer obsessed with rape and domination of women. If the author only said he wanted to have his way with her only once, it would not have had the same effect. It wouldn't show his obsession. It would just seem like a passing thing he wanted to do, but no longer an obsession.

I respectfully disagree. A villain doesn't have to be a rapist to be scary or evil. Take for example the character Negan from The Walking Dead. We know that he is a murder and an extortionist, and a nasty bully. Yet, never once does he threaten to rape any women. As a matter of fact, he has no tolerance for it.
However, we get that he's a killer, even though he doesn't go around killing people on every page of the graphic novel and/or every scene of the series. We remember what he did to Glenn.

Scordato trying to rape Angela in the office established who he was as a villain. He doesn't have to go around saying "rape, rape, rape." We get that impression from the onset.

I think you slightly misunderstood what I was saying, but that may have been because of my wording.

It's not JUST portrayed to make him a creepy obnoxious killer, but ALSO to make him seem obsessed with rape and domination of women; that is a part of his character.

Without it being repeated that he wants to have his way, it would also remove the sexual advances towards Angela in a way that isn't just about her.

He kills and rapes his victims; that's what he does and that's how the author wanted his character to be. She didn't want him to just be a killer.

That would also take away the fact that he has made other advances towards other employees, as well as why he keeps Angela on board. That was part of the reason why he hired her.

If you remove his obsession with rape and domination, I feel as if key parts of the story are also removed, as well as key character elements.