Author: Chevy Stevens
Publication Date: July 6, 2010
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
ISBN: 978-0312595678
340 pages (ARC)
Source: ARC from the publisher for review
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.
Interwoven with the story of the year Annie spent as the captive of a 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 life back together and the ongoing police investigation into the identity of her captor.
Still Missing is that rare debut find–a shocking, visceral, brutal and beautifully crafted debut novel.
My Review:
Dear Annie O’Sullivan,
My heart breaks for you and what you have gone through. I know, I know. You don’t want my pity and you have trust issues and a lot of anger towards basically everyone, but I can’t imagine the horror you had to face on a daily basis. What was it like when you knew he wasn’t a potential client looking at the house – that he was something else, something dark and evil? Someone who wanted to destroy your life?
What was it like living in a remote cabin the mountains of Canada? I think I would have lost my mind. Locks on every door and cabinet? Scheduled baths and pee breaks? Seriously? What a wacko. I don’t know how you survived it – the constant beatings and rapes, the emotional torture he put you through on a daily basis. It’s hard to believe that these things actually happen in the real world.
I know things had to be on your terms. The therapy sessions where you recount your nightmare of a story are hard to read. You are a very angry woman, and rightfully so. People seemed to want to poke and prod you until you had nothing left. What they didn’t understand is that you had nothing left to give. You were beaten down both mentally and physically and it took a sheer miracle for you to even escape The Freak, as you accurately refer to your captor. I am amazed that you were even able to talk to people at all after what you’d been through. My heart bleeds for you.
The conclusion to your story is shocking and heartbreaking. The fact that you are still missing even though you are back home has to be difficult. How do you find your way back to a normal life after everything you have gone through; after being hurt the way you have? How do you learn to trust anyone ever again? I guess a story such as yours really has no “conclusion”. It is an ongoing battle to get through each day, to gain a piece of yourself back each day.
Annie, your story haunts me. It terrifies me. I truly feel that your story will resonate with many other readers as well. Thank you for sharing it with the world, although it must have been a nightmare to relive it all again.
Sincerely Yours,
Jennifer
