Saving Noah

“Child molesters were adults—dirty old men who lured children into their cars with promises of candy and treats. They weren’t A-honor roll students who ran varsity track and went to mass every Sunday.”

Adrianne uses juxtaposition to show the difference between the perception and reality of sex offenders. The image of lurid older men is contrasted with that of Noah, an overachieving, wholesome teenager. Despite the common perception about child molesters, the truth is they can also be younger men, teenagers, and women.

“There weren’t any parenting books about what to do if your son was a sex offender.”

Though Adrianne’s choices in the wake of Noah’s disclosure can sometimes be debatable, here she notes with bleak irony that there isn’t exactly a manual on dealing with the situation. Her observation highlights the arbitrary, absurd nature of reality.

“When he was five, his parents brought home a new puppy and he broke all the dog’s legs. Just snapped them like twigs. He laughs every time he tells the story.”

One of the text’s arguments is that all juvenile sex offenders should not be treated the same and placed in the same facility. Lucas’s horrifying description of Joe’s history illustrates the argument. Joe, a repeat offender and sadist, is housed in the same space as 13-year-old offenders, which leads to devastating consequences for the younger kids.