This book is about living after trauma. It’s about starting over and remembering who you are and how powerful you can be.
On the day she was abducted, Annie O’Sullivan, a 32-year-old realtor, had three goals—sell a house, forget about a recent argument with her mother, and be on time for dinner with her ever-patient boyfriend. The open house is slow, but when her last visitor pulls up in a van as she’s about to leave, Annie thinks it just might be her lucky day after all.
Still Missing interweaves the year Annie spent as the captive of a psychopath in a remote mountain cabin, which unfold through sessions with her psychiatrist, with a second narrative following the events after her escape—her struggle to piece her shattered life back together and the ongoing police investigation into the identity of her captor.
Still Missing is a shocking, visceral, brutal and beautifully crafted novel. (Goodreads)
It will become more evident with every post that I write that I myself have dealt with abuse in my life and have my scars (mentally and physically) to prove it. This book hit me in place I have tried to hide. It reminded me that I can be who ever I want to be, that my trauma does not, and never will define me.
There are scenes in this novel that are really hard to read, there is rape and brutality that leave you feeling grimy. But that is the point, Stevens wanted the reader to feel uncomfortable, the events are just that.
Some may be triggered by these scenes but for me they caused me to open my eyes and accept my own past. There are things that happened to me that I had no more control over than Annie did. Connecting myself to her gave me the push I needed to rebuild my life. I now understand that the world still turns and with every day that passes fewer people will show empathy. It is up to me to rebuild my world, and although I may have friends and family who are willing to help, it is up to me to accept keep breathing.
To me books with redemption after loss are the purest form of bibliotherapy.
They are simple and bold in their message, for those of us who have been so unfortunate to have dark moments shadow our brightest days books like this remind us over and over that we still have so much left ahead of us. Yes; awful things can happen, they can destroy you and shatter you, but you can pick up the pieces and recreate yourself. You are human, which means you are strong and worth all the effort you put in.
Here is a link for the novel. Here are some resources for those who have been a victim to abuse/trauma:National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1.800.656.HOPE (4673)
National Domestic Abuse Hotline: 1.800.799.SAFE (7233)
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