Thursday, July 26, 2012

Audiobook Review: Still Missing by Chevy Stevens

It's getting to be that time of year for me again: audiobook time! Prepare yourselves, as I've built up my collection!

One of the novels I was eager to get from Audible was Still Missing by Chevy Stevens. Seriously, read this description, courtesy of Goodreads:

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.

From the very beginning, this book hooks you. Normally, when I listen to audiobooks, I need a music break every 2-3 hours. Not with this book: I couldn't even gas up without twitching at the realization I wasn't listening to it. The book was that addicting. This story is mostly a reflection. Annie O'Sullivan is recalling to her psychiatrist what happened to her in her year of abduction by a stranger. The storyline is fast-paced and intense; it easily hooks readers. As the novel progresses, the timing no longer becomes a reflection, but how Annie is coping after the fact and what she comes to find.

The closest relationship I can make to this book is Emma Donahue's Room (I'm not sure if I reviewed this on my blog, but I also listened to Room as an audiobook). It has some similar qualities and storyline, but is still unique in its storyline. But, before you run to the bookstore, Audible, or whatever, I do have to warn you that I hated the ending. In a sense, it ruined the book for me. I wasn't sure if Chevy Stevens created this ending to make it seem surprising, or if she was just getting lazy, or couldn't come up with a better idea. Either way, the ending was not my fav. Looking back, I would still read this book, even knowing the ending, but my rating likely would have been 5/5 with any other ending.

Bottom line? I recommend if you liked Room. Also, as an audiobook, the reader did a fabulous job.

Rating: 3/5

2 comments:

  1. This sounds really good. I have never tried an audio mostly because i could zip through this book in 3 to 4 hrs. I love the plot in this and love that it grabbed you. Awesome review!

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  2. It really was a good book! I listen to audiobooks when I drive. I usually end up driving for about 3 months of the year, so they help to pass the time :)

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