YA book review: Exit Pursued by a Bear by E.K. Johnston

Exit Pursued By A Bear by E.K. Johnston

Hermione Winter’s high school seems to have a curse. In every graduating class in recent memory, one student dies, and another gets pregnant. A student from Hermione’s class died years earlier in a car crash, but so far no young women are pregnant.

Then at cheerleading camp, someone drugs her drink and she finds herself with a new label: that raped girl.

Additionally, she is terrified that despite all her efforts, she might also be the pregnant girl as a result of the rape. While Hermione remembers very little of her attacker, she holds out hope that something else might help identify the assailant. Despite victim blaming, Hermione is a strong character and won’t settle for less than justice.

E.K. Johnston quotes Shakespeare in the book’s title, and carries out a subtle retelling of the Bard’s The Winter’s Tale. The book centers around rape culture and victim blaming, but also the incredibly driven and too-strong-to-be-victimized Hermione. The book is appropriate for middle and high school. Even though it tackles violent and serious issues, the text is not graphic. This would make a great book club book as extensive discussion would be likely to follow.

E.K. Johnston is also author of the wonderful That Inevitable Victorian Thing, reviewed here.