Pittsburgh college upset at Grisham book’s rape scene

PITTSBURGH — Officials at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh are upset that bestselling author John Grisham mentions the school in connection with a fictional gang rape in his latest novel.

Grisham’s “The Associate” deals with a character who attended the private Catholic college and was involved in a drunken rape scene in an off-campus apartment in 2003.

Duquesne University spokeswoman Rose Ravasio said it was unfortunate Grisham “chose to use our name and associate it with a fictional incident of this nature.”

Grisham told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he chose the school because he saw it once and had been to Pittsburgh for Steelers and Pirates games.

The novel contains several references to Pittsburgh. The Post-Gazette noted that the book’s disclaimer says the book is a product of the author’s imagination.