LOVE & VIRTUE

Reid accurately depicts the complexities of love, consent, friendship and morality all on the backdrop of one of the most elite institutions in Australia.I flew through this book in one day: the characters, the plot, the setting and the complex entanglements made for an incredible read.An incredible debut novel, I can’t wait to see what else Reid has in store.

I don’t normally write reviews, so all I will say is this is a great read, but the formatting drove me mad! Any word that started with Fl had a space between the F and the l. F low, f lip, f ling, f lush… so distracting and annoying.

This was an interesting, if uneven read for me. Having read Ms Reid's second novel before this one, which I liked very much, it took me a long time to get into the rythm of this book.Michaela is our narrator, who is just starting her first year at Sydney Uni, studying philosophy. The book opens with a drunken episode with Michaela and an unknown (at the time) fellow student, it is a very rude introduction to Uni and to sex for her. Quite simply, she was sexually assaulted, which takes her a while to realise, and she is pushed by her next door neighbour in residence, Eve, to report it.The book covers a lot of issues, very poor male behaviour, sexual contact between a professor and student, fraught friendships, in particular between women, status and a lot more. I found it interesting when the sexual assault became a focus for an article written by Eve. Michaela and her now known assailant remain anonymous, but the article causes a very big stir. Some years ago, as a White Ribbon Ambassador, where I represented an organisation working to change men and the way they treat women, in particular with sexual assault. I spoke at an event at a Sydney University college, it may have been St Thomas, or another like it, about the issues raised in this book, so it did hit quite close to home for me.I did not love it as much as I wanted to, but 3.5 stars for me.

This book seems to be written for a young adult audience.It lacks sophisticated writing,intended to shock at times but misses the mark.

This book must be read again. It flies along but delivers interesting reflections on society, people and ethics the whole way.