Book Review - Any Man by Amber Tamblyn

Title: Any Man
Author: Amber Tamblyn
Genre: Horror/ Fiction/ Thriller
Published: 2018
 
Description: A violent serial rapist is on the loose, who goes by the name Maude. She hunts for men at bars, online, a home – the place doesn’t matter, neither does the man. Her victims them must live the aftermath of their assault in the form of doubt from the police, feelings of shame alienation from their friends and family and the haunting of a horrible woman who becomes the phantom on which society projects its greatest fears, fascinations and even misogyny. All the while the police are without leads and the media hound the victims, publicly dissecting the details of their attack.
 
Review: In “Any Man”, a female rapist is at work. She’s hunting men like prey. Amber Tamblyn is known as an actor, but she had published books before she wrote “Any Man”.
 
Tamblyn choose to make the rapist in her book a woman and write from the point of view of the six male victims. This was unpalatable to some people. Tamblyn herself stated that this is because people think she had just reversed gender roles and she took away women’s experiences and giving it to men. But it’s not about gender roles, but about having more difficult conversations about what sexual violence looks like.
 
“Any Man” is nothing like any other book I have ever read. It’s original, brutal, has gorgeous writing, a literal gut punch. Be aware of trigger warnings for sexual assault and rape in the worse forms. This book grabbed me by the throat and didn’t let go until I finished it.
 
The book focuses on male victims, instead of women, and it will impact each reader differently. It’s very thought-provoking and extremely difficult to read because of the heavy subject matter. It’s brutal, poetic and raw. A book that I will most likely never forget, it really got under my skin. If you think you can stomach these themes, I think you should definitely pick it up. The audio book for this is highly recommended as well, the narration is amazing. If you are sensitive about the themes of rape and sexual assault, you should not read this. This book will stick with me for some time.
 
Rating: 5/ 5