Moral Compass by Danielle Steel

Moral Compass by Danielle Steel
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

One boy commits a horrible crime and begs his five friends not to tell. In a alcoholic stupor they walk away, and only thanks to the phone call of one of the boys is Vivienne saved from alcohol poisoning. Now with no help from the victim the six boys will be hunted down by the police and punished for one night of foolishness. Some of the parents will step up to the plate and urge their children to do the right thing, others will disown their child and one Father will try to paint the victim as a slut

I agree the rapist should have got jail time but I disagree with the sentence the other 5 boys received for not coming forward.

Vivienne was drinking (but she didn't get expelled) Vivienne didn't identify her rapist and lied about what happened just like the 5 boys did but she didn't get jail time. Yes, I know she was raped and paid a terrible price for drinking with a group of boys she was friendly with. But it seems there was one set of rules for Vivienne and another set of rules for the 5 boys.

Vivienne got to graduate from High School, Vivienne got to go to the college of her choice even though she did the same thing as the 5 boys got drunk and then lied about what happened, until the police collected the evidence against the 6 boys and confronted her with it. She started out saying she was drinking with a group of girls.

In contrast the 5 boys (2 of whom were fighting and didn't see the rape, 2 of whom was trying to break them up, and the remaining boy was being sick in the bushes) received 90 days in jail, were expelled from school for drinking and not allowed to graduate and with a criminal record can't get into the colleges they had been accepted to before the rape. Which doesn't seem at all fair. Vivienne gets to go back to the life she had before the rape, the 5 boys will NEVER have the lives they should have had. I am sorry Vivienne was raped but she was drinking too and should have been expelled the same as the 5 boys. And none of them should have got jail time except for the rapist.

I really wonder what message this book sends young women who may read it. That if you get caught breaking the rules cry rape and all will be forgiven. Because honestly at first the 5 boys were too drunk to make decent choices they did at least call for help, then they were told by their lawyers and parents to keep quiet. But while Vivienne's drinking and obstruction of justice is overlooked the boys are made to pay.

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