Still Missing
by Chevy Stevens
Summary: 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.
Source: I purchased a paperback from a used book store
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Review:
Still Missing was an exciting book that kept me turning the pages in order to find out what happened to Annie. It was written from Annie’s point of view as a giant monolog of her conversation with her shrink. She talks about what happened to her while she was abducted and she also talks about what has happened since she was found, and what happened since her last session. I liked the format because it unraveled all three periods of time and gave me insight into Annie’s character.
Annie was abducted at an open house as a realtor and spent a year in a remote cabin with her crazy captor. It left her psychologically damaged and she was trying to rebuild her life afterwards. She was constantly scared, pushing her friends away, and still living part of the routine she was held accountable for during her time in captivity.
I started the book with low expectations. Typically when I see such a promising novel at a used bookstore, I can’t help but wonder why I’ve never heard of it and why it was there in the first place. I shop at used bookstores often, but I’d say about half of the books I get and have never otherwise heard of tend to be disappointing (which is why I haven’t heard of it and why it’s at the store to begin with). Every once in while, I find true gems that are better than I imagined and Still Missing is one of them.
I wasn’t sure where the story was going and what the main point was when I first began, so it was anything but predictable. Were we trying to find out who did that to Annie or was it more about how she would cope afterward? I loved that Still Missing was about everything. It wasn’t just about what happened or what was currently happening to her. It wasn’t necessarily about healing or just about closure. It was about both and everything in between.
I found out who Annie was before, during, and after her abduction. And best of all, it was kind of a fucked up book, which is always awesome to read.
I couldn’t put the book down. I loved finding out what happened to her. Her time with her captor was insane and terrifying. I also enjoyed seeing how she was coping and watching her heal a little bit more each day. I liked figuring out her family and friends and how screwed up they could be. I loved that the author had so many different aspects of Annie’s life wrapped up in this novel and it made for such a compelling novel.
Still Missing was horrifying, eye opening, compelling, full of secrets, mystery, and coping, and was shocking. I will definitely read more of her books in the future and a highly recommend this one.
