“Still Missing is a shocking, visceral, brutal and beautifully crafted novel.”

Still Missing by Chevy Stevens

Synopsis:

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 unfolds 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.

*****

Someone should purchase the rights to this and make it a movie!  I was not prepared for the shocking read I was going in to when I starting listening to this audiobook.  A lot of women can relate to Annie O’Sullivan’s character.  She’s an average woman who lacks self-confidence, doesn’t trust easily if at all, and is just ‘going through the motions’ day after day. No one goes to work thinking they could be abducted that day.  Annie is subjected to physical, mental, and sexual abuse for a year by her captor.  This story is Annie’s recount to her psychiatrist of what happened in that year.  It’s also a deep look into her head while she struggles to deal with everything that happened to her and the aftermath. It’s a look inside the victim’s mind and how someone can face abuse and captivity as their new way of life.

I see this book as is a real version of survival and empowerment.  It shows you that you can survive even through the worst tragedy.  But does so in a real way and not in a “neat bow”, if that makes sense.  In the end, Annie isn’t okay. She’s getting there, but what happened will stay with her forever.  While I’m categorizing this as a psychological thriller, I don’t think this book fits nicely into any 1 or 2 categories.  Some bloggers/readers hated this book or were unimpressed with Stevens’ writing skills. I respectfully disagree.  I think the story was very real and dark, so needs to be read as such.  Does that make sense?  If you typically only read comfort type reads or are sensitive to certain topics, this book may not be for you. I would put it up there with one of my darker reads. And I believe Steven’s writing style was excellent.  I was impressed with the way she told this story and have since read other books written by her. Steven’s writing style is very gritty, compelling, strong, and real. Steven’s excels at making you feel like YOU are the main character.

“You can be as happy as you’ve ever been in your life, and shit is still going to happen. But it doesn’t just happen. It knocks you sideways and crashes you into the ground, because you were stupid enough to believe in sunshine and roses.”

5 taken, trapped, and tortured stars!