The Burning

Product Information

Like Louise O’Neill’s novels Only Ever Yours and Asking For It, it forces the reader to confront what feels unbearable – vulnerable female flesh, exposed to unceasing scrutiny, manipulation and mockery. It likens the viciousness of social media trolls to actual witch hunts, leading us on something of a history lesson in the process. In particular, I thought the bond between Anna and her mother was portrayed in a subtle but affecting manner. It sucks that when reading the book that I feel all these emotions and to know that these issues are actually a reality.

The Burning | Book by Laura Bates | Official Publisher Page

Because of the previous books Bates has written, I'm pretty sure her adult readers and supporters will pick this up, too, and in that case, I think it will have a massive impact. Everyone believes that Salil Singh killed his girlfriend, Andrea Bell, five years ago—except Pippa Fitz-Amobi. These quickly escalate into full-blown persecution, much of it via social media, and Anna finds herself experiencing unbearable distress as a result. I like the way the book has a subplot, comparing the situation of two women who lived 400 years apart who both experience a witch hunt and makes you think that women are still being severely judged, even though people claim that times have changed. Some parts of the book did make me really angry though but in a good way, the way the author tackles topics like slut shaming and picture consent online is really fabulous and made the book for me.This is such a disturbing and fascinating fact and I loved the way the author seamlessly wove in the story of a young woman persecuted pretty much entirely because she was a women at the wrong time.

The Burning on Apple Books ‎The Burning on Apple Books

Dealing with issues of victim blaming, casual sexism and the still very skewed way of "dealing" with things, The Burning shines a light right into the darkest corners of reality.It is however not going anywhere so any book that explores the distress it can create and the ways it can be exploited is vitally important. The more she discovers, the more she finds she relates to the girl whose whole town turns on her because of something someone else did - and that the world is not so different now as it was then, with girls getting blamed for what boys do to them. It's also very British, and I related a lot more to the high school culture here than I do when reading American YA. High school students don't always consider how their words and actions impact others in negative ways and the ELA classroom can be a great place to discussing this and other important issues. The book deals with the common abuse girls face in their teen years, such as slut-shaming, cyberbullying and gender-stereotyping.