Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Book Review: Still Missing by Chevy Stevens


This is a debut novel by an author who I really believe is going to take off in the book world. Still Missing is still on my mind days after finishing. I have not had this range of emotions flow through me of anger, being disturbed, confused, having compassion, going back to be angry, repeat cycle since I read the YA novel Living Dead Girl. This book is not YA. This is not something for middle school students to read. However, with that being said this is probably one of the best books I have read this summer without a doubt. I sat on my deck the other day and read straight through for about 3.5 hours. I have not been that captivated to just sit and read for a long time.

Goodreads.com summarizes the plot perfectly

On the day she was abducted, Annie O’Sullivan, a thirty-two 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 of the day pulls up in a van as she's about to leave, Annie thinks it just might be her lucky day after all.

Interwoven with the story of the year Annie spent captive of a sadistic psychopath in a remote mountain cabin, which unfolds through sessions with her psychiatrist, is a second narrative recounting events following her escape—her struggle to piece her shattered spirit back together and the ongoing police investigation into the identity of her captor.

The truth doesn’t always set you free.


What freaked me out or bothered me the most was the whole psychological aspect of this novel. The head games being played just freaked me out. The other reason this book freaked me out was that I could really see this happening. There are stories that contain aspects of this story all over the news and that makes it even creepier. The plot twists along the way were amazing. How I wish I could discuss this book with someone who has read it. I could not put this book even so much as to add my thoughts to my Twitter book club. I did not want to stop.

Chevy Stevens has a nice website. It was here I learned she is finishing her second novel which has me super excited. For this book being her first novel, I was actually surprised. There are a millions of these type of psychological thriller novels, but she was able to craft a story that I think will rise above the rest. If you are looking for a book that will suck you in to a world that you just cannot escape from, then read this book. As mentioned before, this is not a young adult novel and based on the plot above there are some disturbing things that do go on with being abducted for about a year. I just throw caution to the wind as I know I have a middle school audience on this blog.

What shall I read next?

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