Strange Piece of Paradise

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Strange Piece of Paradise is a non-fiction book by the American writer Terri Jentz. It was released in 2006.

[edit] Synopsis

Terri Jentz describes the attack she and a good friend from college suffered in Cline Falls (a state park in Oregon) in 1977, and how she, after 15 years, came back to Oregon to put her life back in track by attempting to find her attacker despite the fact that he would never be able to be convicted due to the statute of limitations having already passed. Jentz uses the attack on her and her previous roommate and her investigation into the person who attacked them to comment on today's society and the increasing rise in violence against women since the 1970's. In the end, although the story is one woman's personal re-cap on the traumatic event that occurred in her life, she turned the book into a social statement and the author hopes her book will inspire people to take action in discouraging and stopping violence against women. Jentz, being primarily a screen writer, is in the process of turning the events of this book and some of the things that have occurred since into a movie.

In this book, there is a lot of speculation on the sexuality of the characters Terri and Shaina. While Terri does indeed identify as a lesbian, Shaina is not. Despite the feelings readers see Terri has for her in the book, the two were never a couple.