LUCKY

Sebold's memoir of her rape as a college freshman and its aftermath is searingly honest and harrowing, and her quiet, personal narration is equally riveting. The gifted author occasionally tinges her intimate tone with irony as she acknowledges the bitter paradoxes of her situation (e.g., the vicious beating she received from the rapist became a "plus" during the trial, because her bruises and wounds proved the encounter wasn't consensual). She also finds irony when a police officer tells her she was lucky because she was "only" raped, not murdered, and later, when the police view her as a "successful rape victim" (one whose rapist ended up behind bars). Through her prose and her reading, Sebold ably conveys both the raw immediacy of her feelings at the time, and her more insightful, aware viewpoint of today. She notes that a year after the rape, she felt she was over it and had successfully moved on, then acknowledges that, looking back, it wasn't true and she was just putting on a brave face. There's also hurt bewilderment in her voice as she recalls how her best friend (whom she met after the rape, but who knew about it and was supportive), froze her out completely after she herself was raped. This is the inspiring story of a survivor who allows listeners to follow her from trauma to recovery. Based on the Scribner hardcover. (Jan.)