The Elements: A Novel

Told from four perspectives, The Elements weaves a story depicting the various players in a sexual abuse saga: the perpetrator, the victim, the enabler, and the accomplice. The viewpoints are also associated with a natural element, which seamlessly joins each story. Characters overlap between stories, yet the narratives are largely standalone. The author develops each character masterfully, and though the content is quite uncomfortable to read, it allows to reader to immerse oneself into each trauma.

This book spans almost 500 pages, yet once I became immersed in the story, the pages flew by. There were parts of the story that made me cringe with how people seemed to have no moral compass, yet it made me reflect upon commonly held beliefs about victims and how the media portrays sexual abuse cases. I found the various viewpoints so remarkable, for example, how one man’s indecency and abhorrent behavior affected his daughter and wife in distinctive ways. Much discussion centered around how childhood events can affect one’s future, and it was fascinating how this theme played out in different scenarios. Though it wasn’t necessarily an enjoyable read, this book was very thought-provoking and affecting.