Going in to this audiobook, I though I knew the whole story about the Harvey Weinstein, but this story is genuinely so much more.
The retelling of this story by investigative journalist Ronan Farrow (yes, that Ronan Farrow) and his quest to ‘out’ a predator is… important. It’s not just about his diligence in following up leads, supporting the unheard and diminished voices of victims, and contributing to the start of the #MeToo movement. It’s also about the insidious cover-ups by the media, the hopeless efforts of police and courts, the black-market retaliatory tactics of the guilty, the financial cost of the truth, and the endless barrage of assaults that Farrow had to overcome to get this story told.
He was stalked, threatened, excluded and essentially fired for simply doing his job. People he trusted turned out to be double agents. Mentors turned out to be abusers themselves. It’s a filthy story through-and-through, and makes me glad I live on the other side of the planet (although even a scummy Aussie journalist had a role in this mess!). There are Russian hackers, misinformation campaigns, grubby lawyers. Hollywood, the media, the patriarchy… it’s all just rotten to the core.
Having read The New Yorker article about him at the time, I thought I knew the depths of Weinstein’s dealings. I was very wrong. And I thought I knew what this book was about, but it goes so far beyond Weinstein and the ripples it created continue to this day.
If you cannot tell, then I am highly recommending this book. My only gripe (and it is quite silly really), is that I didn’t love Farrow’s narration in the audiobook. When he was speaking with his own voice, he was great, but the man cannot do a foreign accent to save his life. But don’t let that stop you! Because the audio book actually includes an audio recording that has to be heard to be truly understood.
And because I am rating the story itself, not the narration, I feel very comfortable giving Catch and Kill: 5 unnecessary weather alert texts out of 5 .