Keertana @ Ivy Book Bindings

Rating: 2.5 StarsTAMPA isn't the type of novel you can necessarily enjoy reading, but there is no denying that it accomplishes what it sets out to do - reveal the mindset of a female sex offender and pedophile. It's uncomfortable to read and more than a little creepy on many occasions, but I found it explored many facets to this woman's life extraordinarily well, from her marriage to her relationship with her co-workers to - of course - the sexual encounters she strikes up with her students, mere fourteen-year-old boys. And another thing it does spectacularly is explore that line between male and female sex offenders, particularly the differences in their crimes, not because the crimes themselves are different, but rather because the gender of the offenders is. It's interesting to see Celeste, the main character, use her beauty and youth and womanhood as a weapon when it comes to the law. However, I thought a lot of plot instances were unbelievable and I felt as if Jack, the victim in question, perhaps needed a little more backstory for the reader to fully comprehend why he agrees to Celeste's proposal and keeps up with it, despite the circumstances that are thrown his way. As I mentioned previously, TAMPA is not an easy or nice read. It's one of those books you pick up for the sake of your own curiosity and almost wish you hadn't, but not quite. It's different. It's thought-provoking. And it does, ultimately, do a wonderful - albeit disturbing - job of throwing the reader into Celeste's head. Not an experience I want to repeat, that's for sure, but not a bad novel if you're interested in these situations.