Graphic depictions of sex and intense sexual themes are described in explicit detail throughout the book. All characters depicted in these situations are 18+ years of age.

The main character has grown up in — and still lives within — an oppressive, fundamentalist religion. She is constantly pressured into traditional gender roles and repeatedly treated as though she has no right to make her own choices or claim personal autonomy.

This background largely impacts her ability to understand important topics like sex and consent.

Within the religious and late 20th-century setting, women who are sexually active or experienced are often spoken of as if they are lesser valued human beings. They are judged harshly and treated with diminished respect.

The main character internally and outwardly challenges this idea and does not subscribe to the harmful belief.

Violent acts (fist fights, self-defensive biting, details including blood and bodily harm) are sparingly depicted throughout the book.

These descriptions are brief, typically spanning only 1–2 paragraphs each.

Several characters recount their childhoods and experiences with corporal punishment. A few of these instances are specifically linked to a character’s alcohol-abusing father (see “References to Domestic Violence” tab).

None of these references are described in explicit detail. Nor is any of the child abuse sexual in nature.

A character describes a memory in which his alcoholic father inflicted physical abuse on his mother with a belt. The unstable marriage is referenced on several occasions throughout the book, but only described (not depicted) in moderate detail during this particular scene.

A character shares the details of growing up with an alcohol-abusing father (see “References to Domestic Violence” tab).

A character recounts the story of an off-page friend who is suggested to have died from substance misuse (pills), though the exact circumstances of that death are not shown or detailed.

The main character is given an unnamed pill to calm her nerves before a sexual video shoot, implying an attempt to drug her into submission.

Within the religious and late 20th-century setting, homophobia is a persistent theme throughout the book. LGBTQ+ individuals are routinely spoken of as lesser human beings, accused of moral failing and deemed worthy of punishment, exile, or disownment by family and community. There are several derogatory references to the AIDS epidemic and homophobic violence. The homophobic slur “faggot” is used sparingly.

The main character challenges this perspective, but struggles with her own internalized homophobia while learning to accept her bisexual identity.

The main character’s nude photographs are publicly spread without her knowledge or consent.

A largely present, yet underlying theme throughout the book. While the main character is over the age of 18, those in positions of authority frequently exploit her naivety and lack of experience. Both professionally and sexually.

Some of this grooming is implied to have occurred in her adolescence, but nothing is explicitly described.

The main character is unwantedly groped at a public outing. Sexually derogatory comments are made about her in the same scene.

A character recounts the story of an off-page friend who was implied to have been raped by her boyfriend, then failed by the justice system after they let him off without punishment. This assault is referenced and not described in any detail.

CHAPTER 32: Contains an elongated, uncut scene where a sexual assault is described in graphic detail. The main character is sexually violated via kissing, stripping, restraint, finger penetration, and induced orgasm, all without consent. Verbal commands to stop are ignored. The scene leads up to an attempted rape, but the assault stops before it occurs. The assailant is violently mutilated when the victim retaliates in defense, which is described in detail. (If you find this content distressing, it is recommended that you skip this chapter in its entirety).

The main character faces heavy victim blaming in the aftermath of a sexual assault, primarily from her religious mother, who insists it was her fault and frames the trauma as a moral failing rather than the violence it was.

The main character is financially persuaded into losing her virginity in a pornographic video, despite having no real desire to do so. Her youth and inexperience are fetishized and overly emphasized, and she is coached to act in a manner she finds disturbing. As the scene is filmed, oral sex is performed on her while she is half-sedated. While she verbally and outwardly consents, internally, it is clear she is being manipulated and doesn’t want it. She experiences a PTSD episode during the scene (see “Depictions of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder” tab), and is pulled out before sexual intercourse occurs.

In the aftermath of an attempted rape, the main character endures several vivid episodes of post-traumatic stress in her everyday life. These moments of heavy anxiety and sudden panic are described in detail, though they remain infrequent and are confined to only a few paragraphs each time.

Bite Me: Content Warnings