Wendy C. Ortiz

As Ortiz herself says: this is something that happens every day. I think the gift this book gives us is the false maturity that child sex abuse victims have in order to survive, the way that autonomy is both created and illusory in a "relationship" like this. The sheer normalcy of the situation is also a sort of gift; rather than a portrait of an obvious monster, "Jeff" is kind of a needy dudebro who preys on 13 year old girls and demands lurve and friendship because there's such a hole in his center. He's someone you could and do know, not just some villain in the shadows.… (meer)

Lacking the careful attention of her increasingly alcoholic parents, Wendy Ortiz is left to fumble her way through girlhood in the late 1980’s. When her middle school English teacher crosses the line from mentor to predator she easily falls into the attention and power the relationship brings. Despite her teacher’s warnings, Wendy meticulously records the ups and downs of the five year relationship, which makes up the first layer of Excavation.

While Excavation swirls in the same circles as novels like Lolita and Tampa, Ortiz is able to offer completely new perspectives; both that of the longing teenager and the reflective adult. As the chapters progress, readers hold constant hope that the secret relationship will find an end while also coming to understand its delicate place in Wendy’s life. Thankfully, nearly every disturbing, heartbreaking moment is bracketed by an equally eye-opening one, making Excavation a powerful reading experience.

More at rivercityreading.com… (meer)