inexcusable

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Inexcusable is a 2005 novel written by Chris Lynch in the young adult genre. Through first-person narration, it chronicles the life of high school senior Keir Sarafian.

Plot summary

The novel begins with Keir arguing with Gigi about the events which occurred the night before. It continues with Keir's first-person narration of his senior year in high school. Keir is crushed when he learns that Gigi has accused him of date rape. He goes on to tell Gigi that he loves her, and would never do such a thing. One of Keir's main problems is his home life. His father treats him more like a friend than a son. The big question throughout the novel is this: "Could a self-proclaimed "good guy" be capable of such a heinous act?" Keir goes over the events of his senior year that led to this night, and how this could have happened. The novel never mentions Gigi's point of view, so her feelings and thoughts are not taken into consideration through the use of dialogue.

As the novel unfolds, Keir becomes more unpopular because of his substance abuse, school behavior, and his infamous tackle on the football field giving him the nickname "Killer." Keir's self-image dissipates after he accidentally paralyzes a teammate, participates in bullying classmates, and then tries cocaine. First, he leans on Gigi because she listens to him and doesn't judge him. Once he learns about Gigi and her new boyfriend, he is angry and leans on his two sisters, Fran and Mary. Keir's older sisters have mixed feelings about his behavior. He leans on Fran the most because she sees the "good" in Keir despite his terrible actions.

One night close to graduation, after a night of partying and substance abuse, Gigi decides to accompany Keir on a visit to Fran's college and they end up in her dorm room alone. In addition to all of this, Gigi tells Keir that her boyfriend could not go to the dance and she needed him to come with her to the dance. When they were both in that cabin there were two beds and when Keir saw how beautiful Gigi looked he went to her bed and something inexcusable happened. Then, the setting reverts back to the opening with the two arguing about what happened while they were sleeping next to each other.

Characters

• Keir Sarafian: Keir is the sixteen year old protagonist of the novel. He's a popular high school football player who parties, abuses substances and is disobedient in school.
• Gigi Boudakian: Gigi is Keir's best friend, and the person Keir adores. She goes to a party with Keir and participates in substance abuse.
• Ray Sarafian: Ray is Keir's widowed father.
• Quarterback Ken: Ken is the [quarterback] of Keir's football team. He is the reason Keir is given the nickname "Killer."
• Fran and Mary Sarafian: Fran and Mary are Keir's sisters.

Themes

• Date rape
• First-person Narratives
• High School Sports
• Relationships - Family and Social
• Responsibility
• Self-perception/self-deception
• Substance Abuse

Awards and recognition

• 2005 National Book Awards Finalist Young People's Literature
• Booklist Editors' Choice - Books for Youth (Older Readers Category), 2005
• National Book Awards Finalist for Young Peoples Literature, 2005
• School Libray Journal's Best Books, 2005
• YALSA Best Books for Young Adults, 2006
• Booklist, September 15, 2005, p. 55 (Starred Review)

External links

• Inexcusable at amazon.com
• Inexcusable review at teenreads.com
• Inexcusable Discussion Module at Rhode Island Teen Book Award

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