In Which One Line Changes Everything (A Day in the Life of a Book Reviewer)

Words mean everything.

Yesterday, I was reading a thriller. It grabbed my attention, I was invested in the characters and the plot, and then I came across it.  The one line that sickened me, one line that forced me to put the book down permanently.  I won’t give the title (though if you follow me on Twitter, I mentioned it yesterday) but I will share the line.

First, let me set the scene.  Years previous, the character’s sister is found dead.  The killer has never been found.  She’s returned home to help with her sick mother.  In the scene, she’s with her sister’s former boyfriend (the one everyone thought killed her) and they making love (I know, I know).  *Warning-it is kind of explicit*

Here’s the line:

Then I felt the rhythm of him inside me for the miracle that it was; with every gentle but insistent thrust, he was pushing [sister’s name] back, back, back into me.

Now, tell me if I’m wrong. Does this not make you nauseous?

Tell me: have your feelings about a book been shattered with one line?