Status
Available
Call number
Call number
F Lyn
Genres
Collection
Publication
Atheneum Books for Young Readers (2005), Edition: First Edition, 176 pages
Description
High school senior and football player Keir sets out to enjoy himself on graduation night, but when he attempts to comfort a friend whose date has left her stranded, things go terribly wrong.
Original publication date
2005
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User reviews
LibraryThing member BookDrops
This novel attempts to address several very serious issues including parental and teen alcoholism and the atrocity of date rape at its worst. Unfortunately, while it presents these topics for discussion, it does not present the complexity or true pain of these issues well. The plot is very thin and
I would recommend this book to teens who have already crossed lines and are hanging on the edge of making criminal-type life-altering decisions. This book is harsh enough, and disconnected enough that it may reach this group of readers and readers who have already crossed those lines. I would not recommend this book to the majority of readers because they may not grasp the intensity of the situation. Due to the repeated claims of the anti-heroes conscience, the unreliable narrator of much of the book, readers may believe that he is the "good guy" he believes he is.
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characters, even the antihero, is not well developed. The whole story seems contrived, not that any of it could be untrue, but because binding elements seem to be missing. I would recommend this book to teens who have already crossed lines and are hanging on the edge of making criminal-type life-altering decisions. This book is harsh enough, and disconnected enough that it may reach this group of readers and readers who have already crossed those lines. I would not recommend this book to the majority of readers because they may not grasp the intensity of the situation. Due to the repeated claims of the anti-heroes conscience, the unreliable narrator of much of the book, readers may believe that he is the "good guy" he believes he is.
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LibraryThing member harrisw4
Inexcusable is about a teen named Keir and how he rationalizes the decisions he has made in his life. He gives excuse after excuse of all of the horrible decisions he has made. He tries to describe how he is a great person and that he doesn’t understand how other people could have a different
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opinion of him. His two older sisters are in college. He lives with his Dad and this plays an important role in the story. Show Less
LibraryThing member lilibrarian
Keir is a high school football player who has trouble seeing the consequences of his actions. He's a football player, and a good guy - and sometimes the way it looks is not the way it his. He loves Gigi, so he can't have hurt her. Right?
LibraryThing member MarieCoady
This book stayed with me for a long time. All about perspective, intent, inner life and outward actions. What do we honestly acknowledge about ourselves? Do others see you the way you see yourself?
LibraryThing member TechiMi
This is a small, rather unassuming looking little book that packs a punch. The day I started it, a friend asked "So what's inexcusable?" and I said, "As far as I can tell, the main character is."
Entering in the midst of a fight, you get off on wobbly feet. One half of the fight thinks he's right,
It certainly does seem, at least when you start, that Keir Sarafian is what he claims. And even when he cripples a guy, it seems plausible that it was an accident. Football injuries happen. But then there's the incident with the statue. And the tape of himself abusing his own soccer teammates...but it's blurry so he's sure it's not really him--he would never do that. Still, as the school year winds down, life becomes more and more questionable. And more and more inexcusable.
Then Graduation Day turns sour, as Keir's sisters won't be making it home for the ceremy. It turns out Gigi's boyfriend doesn't make it either. So they end up together in a limo, riding aimlessly, until they decide to take off to Norfolk. Arriving there, Keir is greeted with more shocks. On top of his already unstable state, helped along by ample doses of alcohol and drugs, it's just too much.
When all the events have added up, the question becomes who is Keir Sarafian? Does he even really know?
Entering in the midst of a fight, you get off on wobbly feet. One half of the fight thinks he's right,
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and the other half thinks he's insane. So Keir Sarafian sets about telling us what a good guy he is, documenting it, and rationalizing the instances where it seems he might be anything else. Meanwhile, on every flash back to the present, Gigi Boudakian is still crying.It certainly does seem, at least when you start, that Keir Sarafian is what he claims. And even when he cripples a guy, it seems plausible that it was an accident. Football injuries happen. But then there's the incident with the statue. And the tape of himself abusing his own soccer teammates...but it's blurry so he's sure it's not really him--he would never do that. Still, as the school year winds down, life becomes more and more questionable. And more and more inexcusable.
Then Graduation Day turns sour, as Keir's sisters won't be making it home for the ceremy. It turns out Gigi's boyfriend doesn't make it either. So they end up together in a limo, riding aimlessly, until they decide to take off to Norfolk. Arriving there, Keir is greeted with more shocks. On top of his already unstable state, helped along by ample doses of alcohol and drugs, it's just too much.
When all the events have added up, the question becomes who is Keir Sarafian? Does he even really know?
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LibraryThing member SheReads
I found this book absolutely disturbing, but very, very well done. Lynch really makes the reader think Keir isn't so bad. Lynch created a really likable, but scary and disturbing villain in Keir.
LibraryThing member Caitlove
Very hard to read. And after rape she like still talked to him, like it was no big deal. Gives victims of rape a bad name. Really didn't like it.
LibraryThing member edspicer
Keir is rock solid—the kind of guy you would want as a friend. Keir Sarafian was raised properly. Gigi Boudakian just doesn’t see it the way it is. Keir Sarafian is a good, loyal kid. He is her childhood friend forever. Keir has loved Gigi his whole life. The way it looks is just not the way it
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is. However, as readers gradually learn more about Keir we see that he always has a ready excuse for his violence on the football field, his drinking, and his behavior with his friends. On another level, he and his dad are engaged in an endless game of Risk that serves as a perfectly chilling metaphor for what transpires in reality. This books raises important question for teen discussion groups: What happens when we excuse star athletes from personal responsibility? What happens when we disregard our obligations to ourselves and our families? What are our responsibilities to those we date? These are only some of the questions that Inexcusable may spawn. Chris Lynch, 2002 Printz Honor-Award winner for Free Will, has written an uncompromising book about date-rape that is absolutely essential reading for teens. Show Less
LibraryThing member francescadefreitas
This is a harrowing account of a rape, from the rapist's point of view. As Keir tells us the story of his life leading up to his night with Gigi, we come to realise that he is a master of self-delusion.
This is a raw look at the little justifications and excuses a person can make for their
(spoilers)
I am bothered by the ending - it seems that to the very last moment, Keir fails to take responsibility for his past actions.
This is a raw look at the little justifications and excuses a person can make for their
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behaviour, as small inconsiderate deeds build up to horrific actions.(spoilers)
I am bothered by the ending - it seems that to the very last moment, Keir fails to take responsibility for his past actions.
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LibraryThing member JRlibrary
Keir knows he could not have done something so inexcusable as rape. As Keir recounts the events, there is a darker side that casts doubt on his innocence. The voice of the narrator does a great job illustrating Keir's bewilderment. Lynch has made Keir seem confused. The reader wants to like Keir.
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This book would be a great one to pair with Speak by Anderson. Show Less
LibraryThing member mikethomas
"The way it looks is not the way it is," begins this bone-chilling novel. It looks like a date rape, and in the novel's first scene, set just after the alleged crime, teen Gigi accuses narrator Keir, whose terrifying denial ("I am a good guy, and so I could not have done this") sets the book's tone.
LibraryThing member msjackson
What a twist! Keir, the narrator of this short tragedy leads the reader to believe that he is the "good guy"... Until he commits the inexcusable crime. He is the popular guy in school who has earned a reputation as a "killer" on the football field. His peers like him and his dad aka "best friend"
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loves him but enables his predatory behavior. Show Less
LibraryThing member ealaindraoi
This is not an easy novel to read, but it's very interesting to read the other side of a story. Keir is revealed as a character slowly. The other characters, like his father Ray and his older sisters and Gigi, his childhood friend are well drawn and are also revealed slowly. The writing is poetic
An excellent companion book for Laurie Anderson's Speak.
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in quality, with Keir describing the atmosphere at various points in time beautifully. Besides the difficult subject matter, the only downside is the flipping between time points can be confusing. As soon as I finished the book, I went back and re-read the future segments and it all made a lot more sense.An excellent companion book for Laurie Anderson's Speak.
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LibraryThing member 4sarad
Interesting read. The guy makes himself out to be a great guy and makes you believe his family is the most wonderful family ever, but as the story goes on you realize how wrong he is on all fronts. I enjoyed it quite a bit.
LibraryThing member chibimajo
Not quite what I thought it'd be based on the rumors. Keir is a "good guy", that's what he's always been told. He has a close relationship with his father and 2 older sisters, he's involved in both football and soccer at school, his grades aren't stellar, but he gets by. But Gigi claims that she
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raped him. Keir knows he's a good guy, so he can't possibly have done this horrible thing to Gigi, and he just needs to make her understand that. So the book traces back through glimpses of the past year of his life, showing the events, as seen through Keir's eyes, that led up to this night. Spoilers would show why this book did not turn out how I had thought, but it still left me anxious to read it. The conflicting viewpoints of events as seen through Keir's head are very interesting. Show Less
LibraryThing member tyuiop159
Once you read the summery, that's it you're have to read the whole book. Inexcusable was one of the best coming-of-age books I've ever read. Chris Lynch's unique writing style keeps you turning to the next page.
LibraryThing member LynneVS
I know what the author named this boy, but I could have put other names in because I've met too many people who were never held accountable for their actions! This book is a great story and a vivid portrayal of what can happen when kids are given too many excuses and free passes.
LibraryThing member ewyatt
Keir is a guy who claims to have two heartbeats, as if there are competing beings within him. At the beginning of the book, Keir show us a side of himself that seems as if maybe he has been falsely accused of rape or there has been some sort of misunderstanding. As more and more things about him
The story is told in alternating chapters, giving snipets of the aftermath of the rape with Gigi and giving more exposition about Keir.
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are revealed, like his use of alcohol and drugs, participation in vandalism, and hazing of other students within the school, it becomes apparent that Keir is not necessarily the good guy he claims to be. Keir is quick to label the actions of others as inexcusable, but he is not willing to put that mirror up to his own behavior. The story is told in alternating chapters, giving snipets of the aftermath of the rape with Gigi and giving more exposition about Keir.
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LibraryThing member shannonseglin
Keir is a senior who fancies himself a lovable rogue. So do his widowed father, his older sisters, and his classmates. He likes being liked; he just doesn't do well with involvement. Keir would never do anything to hurt anyone intentionally–or would he? When he tackles and cripples a member of an
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opposing football team, it's determined to be an accident–one that earns him the good-humored nickname, Killer. When he and his buddies destroy a town statue, they consider it a high-spirited, funny prank. When he gets drunk, the alcohol abuse is dismissed as silly, harmless drinks, and drugs at parties are strictly recreational. And when he date rapes the girl he thinks he loves, at first he convinces himself that the way it looks is not the way it is. (SLJ) Show Less
LibraryThing member owensmj
When recent high school graduate and star football player Keir rapes his childhood friend, he is forced to reexamine his self-image as a "good guy", which had never before questioned.
Keir's situation and perception of himself is probably relateable on some level to most young adults. Most people
Keir's situation and perception of himself is probably relateable on some level to most young adults. Most people
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either know a "popular jock" type of person or are one themselves, and I think most everyone has at some pointed wanted to be liked by the crowd, or by a special person. Show Less
LibraryThing member Tatiana_G
I've seen this book recommended as a companion novel to Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak and really, the main character of Inexcusable, Keir, could have easily been IT.
The novel starts with Keir's friend, Gigi, screaming at him, accusing him of rape.
I am so sorry.
"What are you sorry for, Keir?" Gigi
"Say what you did, Keir."
"Why is Carl coming? Why do you have to call Carl, Gigi?"
"Say what you did, Keir. Admit what you did to me."
"I didn't do anything, Gigi."
"Yes you did! I said no!"
I say this very firmly. "You did not."
You see, according to Keir, the way it looks is not the way it is. How can he, an upstanding guy, a great son and brother, rape anybody? It's just impossible, because he is a good guy. Gigi must have gotten it all wrong, misunderstood him and he will do his best to convince her she made a mistake.
What follows is your (a)typical "unreliable narrator" story. When Keir starts describing some events of his senior year leading up to the fateful evening, we see that maybe he has a bit of a skewed image of himself, maybe even a lot skewed? Maybe his dad is not such a great role model? Maybe his sisters are not that supportive?
Inexcusable, it seems, gets some heat in the reviews for focusing on an unlikable main character who doesn't realize what is wrong with him. I never have a problem with this sort of thing. Such stories (The Spectacular Now and You) I enjoy, it's always interesting to get into a twisted person's head IMO. What I wish though is that the novel were a little longer. I think there is much more to explore in Keir's life and his relationships with his family and friends. Otherwise, it Inexcusable is a strong, thought-provoking, but not necessarily feel-good novel for young adults.
The novel starts with Keir's friend, Gigi, screaming at him, accusing him of rape.
I am so sorry.
"What are you sorry for, Keir?" Gigi
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screams again, grabbing me by where my lapels would be if I had a jacket on, or a shirt, or anything. She can't get a purchase because I have no clothes, and very little fat, because I have been good about my health lately. She grabs, can't grab, scratches instead at my chest, then slaps me hard across the face, first right side then left, smack, smack."Say what you did, Keir."
"Why is Carl coming? Why do you have to call Carl, Gigi?"
"Say what you did, Keir. Admit what you did to me."
"I didn't do anything, Gigi."
"Yes you did! I said no!"
I say this very firmly. "You did not."
You see, according to Keir, the way it looks is not the way it is. How can he, an upstanding guy, a great son and brother, rape anybody? It's just impossible, because he is a good guy. Gigi must have gotten it all wrong, misunderstood him and he will do his best to convince her she made a mistake.
What follows is your (a)typical "unreliable narrator" story. When Keir starts describing some events of his senior year leading up to the fateful evening, we see that maybe he has a bit of a skewed image of himself, maybe even a lot skewed? Maybe his dad is not such a great role model? Maybe his sisters are not that supportive?
Inexcusable, it seems, gets some heat in the reviews for focusing on an unlikable main character who doesn't realize what is wrong with him. I never have a problem with this sort of thing. Such stories (The Spectacular Now and You) I enjoy, it's always interesting to get into a twisted person's head IMO. What I wish though is that the novel were a little longer. I think there is much more to explore in Keir's life and his relationships with his family and friends. Otherwise, it Inexcusable is a strong, thought-provoking, but not necessarily feel-good novel for young adults.
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LibraryThing member knitwit2
A short read, with a weighty message. Keir is certain that he is a "good guy". He is also an alcoholic, and short on a conscience. He is the master of rationalizations, sadly his behavior can't always be explained away.
LibraryThing member RosanaSantana
Keir is a good guy. Everybody loves him. There was just that one incident on the football field, but everyone knows he was just doing his job. So why is his best friend accusing him? Difficult to read due to the main characters disgusting personality.
LibraryThing member Sullywriter
Brilliant and disturbing.
LibraryThing member JenJ.
This is a difficult book because the narrator is pretty unsympathetic. The jumping back and forth in time frustrated me a little and there were aspects I would have liked to know more about (particularly what happened to the injured football player). A very interesting look at an unreliable
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narrator though. Show Less
Pages
176