In this powerful memoir, a lonely and vulnerable high school senior finds solace in her writing and a dangerous connection with her charismatic English teacher.
"Have you ever read Lolita?"
So begins seventeen-year-old Alisson's metamorphosis from student to lover and then victim. Mr. North gives Alisson a copy of Lolita to read, telling her it is a beautiful story about love. The book soon becomes the backdrop to a bond that blooms from a simple crush into a devastating and abusive relationship. As Mr. North's hold on her tightens, Alisson is forced to evaluate how much of their narrative is actually a disturbing fiction.
In the wake of this deeply abusive relationship, Alisson is faced again and again with the story of her past, from rereading Lolita in college to working with teenage girls to becoming a professor of creative writing. It is only with that distance and perspective that she understands the ultimate power language has had on her—and how to harness that power to tell her own true story.
Being Lolita is a stunning coming-of-age memoir that shines a bright light on our shifting perceptions of consent, vulnerability, and power. This is the story of what happens when a young woman realizes her entire narrative must be rewritten—and then takes back the pen to rewrite it.