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Oblivion
Lisa McMann's Dead to You meets Kate Ellison's The Butterfly Clues in a psychological thriller full of romance, intrigue, and mystery.
One year ago, Callie was found in an abandoned apartment, scrawling words on the "I KILLED HIM. His blood is on my hands. His heart is in my soul. I KILLED HIM." But she remembers nothing of that night or of the previous thirty-six hours. All she knows is that her father, the reverend at the Church of the Holy Promise, is missing, as is Hannah, a young girl from the parish. Their disappearances have to be connected and Callie knows that her father was not a righteous man.
Since that fateful night, she's been plagued by graphomania -- an unending and debilitating compulsion to write. The words that flow from Callie's mind and through her pen don't seem to make sense -- until now.
As the anniversary of Hannah's vanishing approaches, more words and memories bubble to the surface and a new guy in school might be the key to Callie putting together the puzzle. But digging up the secrets she's buried for so long might be her biggest mistake.
One year ago, Callie was found in an abandoned apartment, scrawling words on the "I KILLED HIM. His blood is on my hands. His heart is in my soul. I KILLED HIM." But she remembers nothing of that night or of the previous thirty-six hours. All she knows is that her father, the reverend at the Church of the Holy Promise, is missing, as is Hannah, a young girl from the parish. Their disappearances have to be connected and Callie knows that her father was not a righteous man.
Since that fateful night, she's been plagued by graphomania -- an unending and debilitating compulsion to write. The words that flow from Callie's mind and through her pen don't seem to make sense -- until now.
As the anniversary of Hannah's vanishing approaches, more words and memories bubble to the surface and a new guy in school might be the key to Callie putting together the puzzle. But digging up the secrets she's buried for so long might be her biggest mistake.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2014
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July 26, 2016
3 STARS
Po-tay-toes, po-tah-toes.
I’m finding it a little strange reading gripes about this book’s length because I truly felt like I flew through this one quite easily. True, there are a lot of things to complain about this story but between reading a book that makes me feel like pulling my own tooth with a fork versus one that offers something compelling but induces one too many eye-rolls, I’ve learned to pick the nitpicks that I pick on.
A year ago, Reverend Palmer Prescott of the Church of the Holy Promise disappeared with a 12-year old girl. His wife, a self-proclaimed mystic, has been committed to a mental health facility while his sixteen year-old daughter went into County Juvenile Hall. Both of them knows something but neither can remember what happened. To make things more interesting, Callie suffers from graphomania, an obsessive compulsion to write that has been further exacerbated by her father’s vanishing. Each episodic attack somehow figuring as clues in the bigger picture of what happened to the vile man and why she repeatedly wrote ‘I KILLED HIM’ on the walls of their home, the day it all happened.
There’s a book in my shelf called Kaplan & Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry: Behavioral Sciences/Clinical Psychiatry which I feel I should probably share with a few authors out there because that’s like a goldmine of psychological issues to burden your characters with. Admittedly, graphomania makes for a disturbingly intriguing jump off point in building a story around. The jarring imagery of nonsensical, visceral and violent words strung together, written on paper, walls, body parts with a red Sharpie is very David Fincher-compatible.
I can hear Trent Reznor wailing in the background but it does read like a Fiddy Cent song, yes? (I definitely read the first line to the beat of In Da Club). There’s even a ’What’s in thebox bag?!’ freakout moment to seal the Fincher-fangirl status of anyone who recognises the references. If there was a Best Cinematography for books, Sasha Dawn’s unique perspective is definitely a contender. The lake, the church, The Vagabond Club…there was something drearily foggy and grainy in the way she sets a scene and this served the whole missing-holy-man-who-just-might-be-a-pedophile mystery quite well.
I wish we could’ve just ended things at that. I wish this was purely about a jigsaw puzzle in Callie’s brain with disjointed pieces in the shapes of labyrinths, rosaries, fountains, shovel and rowboats.
Unfortunately, Callie is sixteen, attractive and now living with the Hutches, an affluent family with a pothead of a daughter, Lindsey. Callie loves Lindsey dearly, so much so that she ghost writes poetic, possibly pretentious love letters for her to impress the brooding and mysterious and brooding football player John “with an H” Fogel. We know where this is going right?
So yes, this one pulled a Looky Loo (Insta-Love), a Love Dorito (Cheesy AND Triangular *eyebrow waggle*) and a Friendly Cheeto (cheating on your best friend) all in one go. And because this made absolutely no effort to avoid any of the well-abused Contmeporary Romance tropes, there is also an Elijah Breshock - the troubled boy from Juvie, the occasional fuck buddy, love of her life stand-in. So it’s now a Love Double Dorito, also known in some circles as the Parallelogram Conundrum.
Wasted opportunity right there to make some Pentagonary Quandary, someone needs to take some notes from Tiffany Reisz.
It felt thoroughly discordant, how this came across with mature insights and fresh edginess for YA (I thought that argument for YA hookup culture was an unvoiced sentiment so far in this genre) in certain lengths of pages only to indulge into petty cat fights, male posturing and garishly juvenile behavior. Which I suppose can be argued as the perfect, grounding contrast to all the heaviness of the other plot line. But who really wishes for a pretty young heroine with a troubling psychological issue who must choose between a hot flawed guy and a flawed hot guy?
Yeah, this isn’t my first rodeo with that trope so I’m still gonna call it as I see it.
I found the dynamic between Lindsey and Callie intriguing and well-worth better exploration beyond the petty cat fights and bitch talk. I was quite disappointed with how patronizing this book was in the treatment of Lindsey. As if one’s perspective is less valid and counts for little if you are brought up in a safe environment with loving parents and the comforts of a home and education. There was a certain degree of artistic glamorization of Callie’s psychiatric condition, that has made me share that feeling with rockstars who are not as blue collar as Bruce Springsteen. Pot aside, does Lindsey’s opinion count for less because she’s privileged and her mother is not clinically insane? What kind of shaming is that? Milquetoast-shaming?
I suppose beyond all that cliche-ridden storyline, there was the underlying theme of family - the kind given to you and the kind that you find - but I still can’t help but feel a little empty at the end of reading this one. I thought the mystery was constructed tightly enough but the fact that in the end, was a bit of a let-down.
There are books I openly and shamelessly push for my friends to read, books that stay in my mind for days, wondering what the characters are doing right now, as if they’re real people living in a house a few blocks from my own. This is neither but isn’t one I’d openly discourage friends from reading either. It’s bound to satisfy someone in my friends’ list.
It’s just one of those things that you’ll just have to figure out who among yourselves will.
ARC courtesy of EgmontUSA thru Netgalley.
Also on Booklikes.
’You’re a poet.’
No, I want to say, I am insane.
Po-tay-toes, po-tah-toes.
I’m finding it a little strange reading gripes about this book’s length because I truly felt like I flew through this one quite easily. True, there are a lot of things to complain about this story but between reading a book that makes me feel like pulling my own tooth with a fork versus one that offers something compelling but induces one too many eye-rolls, I’ve learned to pick the nitpicks that I pick on.
A year ago, Reverend Palmer Prescott of the Church of the Holy Promise disappeared with a 12-year old girl. His wife, a self-proclaimed mystic, has been committed to a mental health facility while his sixteen year-old daughter went into County Juvenile Hall. Both of them knows something but neither can remember what happened. To make things more interesting, Callie suffers from graphomania, an obsessive compulsion to write that has been further exacerbated by her father’s vanishing. Each episodic attack somehow figuring as clues in the bigger picture of what happened to the vile man and why she repeatedly wrote ‘I KILLED HIM’ on the walls of their home, the day it all happened.
There’s a book in my shelf called Kaplan & Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry: Behavioral Sciences/Clinical Psychiatry which I feel I should probably share with a few authors out there because that’s like a goldmine of psychological issues to burden your characters with. Admittedly, graphomania makes for a disturbingly intriguing jump off point in building a story around. The jarring imagery of nonsensical, visceral and violent words strung together, written on paper, walls, body parts with a red Sharpie is very David Fincher-compatible.
Burn her in an urn. Burn her in an urn. Burn her in an urn.
Crucify, quarter and stone her.
I can hear Trent Reznor wailing in the background but it does read like a Fiddy Cent song, yes? (I definitely read the first line to the beat of In Da Club). There’s even a ’What’s in the
I wish we could’ve just ended things at that. I wish this was purely about a jigsaw puzzle in Callie’s brain with disjointed pieces in the shapes of labyrinths, rosaries, fountains, shovel and rowboats.
Unfortunately, Callie is sixteen, attractive and now living with the Hutches, an affluent family with a pothead of a daughter, Lindsey. Callie loves Lindsey dearly, so much so that she ghost writes poetic, possibly pretentious love letters for her to impress the brooding and mysterious and brooding football player John “with an H” Fogel. We know where this is going right?
He’s staring out the window now, across the murky waters of the bay. He blinks slowly, and when he opens his eyes, he’s looking directly into mine. A surge of energy zaps me - such is the power in his stare. It’s intense. It’s intimate.
So yes, this one pulled a Looky Loo (Insta-Love), a Love Dorito (Cheesy AND Triangular *eyebrow waggle*) and a Friendly Cheeto (cheating on your best friend) all in one go. And because this made absolutely no effort to avoid any of the well-abused Contmeporary Romance tropes, there is also an Elijah Breshock - the troubled boy from Juvie, the occasional fuck buddy, love of her life stand-in. So it’s now a Love Double Dorito, also known in some circles as the Parallelogram Conundrum.
John offers his right hand. “John Fogel.”
Elijah gives my thigh another squeeze before releasing me to shake John’s hand. “Elijah Breshock.”
The two of them remain locked in the gaze, hands firmly grasped, like they’re involved in some sort of showdown.
Wasted opportunity right there to make some Pentagonary Quandary, someone needs to take some notes from Tiffany Reisz.
It felt thoroughly discordant, how this came across with mature insights and fresh edginess for YA (I thought that argument for YA hookup culture was an unvoiced sentiment so far in this genre) in certain lengths of pages only to indulge into petty cat fights, male posturing and garishly juvenile behavior. Which I suppose can be argued as the perfect, grounding contrast to all the heaviness of the other plot line. But who really wishes for a pretty young heroine with a troubling psychological issue who must choose between a hot flawed guy and a flawed hot guy?
This isn’t a matter of choosing between my best friend and a guy, between my head and my heart; this is about choosing between clarity and clouds.
Yeah, this isn’t my first rodeo with that trope so I’m still gonna call it as I see it.
I found the dynamic between Lindsey and Callie intriguing and well-worth better exploration beyond the petty cat fights and bitch talk. I was quite disappointed with how patronizing this book was in the treatment of Lindsey. As if one’s perspective is less valid and counts for little if you are brought up in a safe environment with loving parents and the comforts of a home and education. There was a certain degree of artistic glamorization of Callie’s psychiatric condition, that has made me share that feeling with rockstars who are not as blue collar as Bruce Springsteen. Pot aside, does Lindsey’s opinion count for less because she’s privileged and her mother is not clinically insane? What kind of shaming is that? Milquetoast-shaming?
I suppose beyond all that cliche-ridden storyline, there was the underlying theme of family - the kind given to you and the kind that you find - but I still can’t help but feel a little empty at the end of reading this one. I thought the mystery was constructed tightly enough but the fact that in the end, was a bit of a let-down.
There are books I openly and shamelessly push for my friends to read, books that stay in my mind for days, wondering what the characters are doing right now, as if they’re real people living in a house a few blocks from my own. This is neither but isn’t one I’d openly discourage friends from reading either. It’s bound to satisfy someone in my friends’ list.
It’s just one of those things that you’ll just have to figure out who among yourselves will.
ARC courtesy of EgmontUSA thru Netgalley.
Also on Booklikes.
July 6, 2014
Guess 134 pages are enough to determine that I do not like this book.
Oblivion, somehow, ended up being one of the most tiresome stories I've read(or tried to) this year. And yeah, that includesthis book called Here be Sexist Vampires(on second thoughts nooooo, that was way fucking worse) Venus In Furs and Nevermore and this girl's guide to some boys, I shit you not. Frankly, I'm kind of surprised as to how it turned out for me, because starting with, I was enjoying the writing style, and the story, quite a lot. But that is it-the goddamn starting point.
Afterwards, it all went downhill. And just continued. And its velocity compounded with every page. And it was summerrrrrrr. And hot. And afternoon. External factors + external factors begot an unhappy me, through no fault of mine I sway-uh.
First of all, for a thriller, for a mystery to actually develop, the story should move forward even if it involves tracing the past, or seeking lost memories. Leaving the plot stagnant while the characters engage in rubbish, tangential, and unflinchingly(or flinchingly, as the case may be) uncontributive scenes only works for so long, especially if the said scenes don't happen to enforce character dynamics. This is one of the major failures on part of Oblivion.
Sure, I read only the first 100-something pages, but even in a book 400 or 800 pages long, those beginnings shouldn't count for nothing.
The prose at the start became cloying and repetitive after a while. Another major disappointment, because were it not for the standstill and the unnecessary prolongation, this writing itself could have gone down a road I think I'd have coseyed up to.
Moreover, characters themselves didn't make a lasting impression on me, much less a positive one. Having abandoned this almost a month ago, all I can remember are the beginnings of a love triangle, which ordinarily I don't mind as much as the next reader, but because of fruitless attempts at chemistry I already saw it failing, and a sisterly best friend whose less-than-purrfect portrayal I enjoyed at first, but lackadaisical attempts and half-assed pejorative light bored the fuck out of me.
On the other hand, one thing I do remember liking is Callie's obviously affected and overblown views of her best friend, whom she claims to love very much so much we're best sisters forever won't leave each other. As evidenced by her numerous actions and reactions, the best friend wasn't the sweetest chick you could ask for but Callie seemed to reserve a love for her. And me likey! In the beginning, that is.
It's alllll in the beginning.
In any case, readers are welcome to prove me wrong, love this book and make fanclubs for the author. I've already seen reviews that contradict my personal, subjective opinions so yay! I hope Callie and her best friend have the speshulest friendship as Callie sees it, and when they're old and grey, they still wear socks of the other(FYI, I don't know if they do that). As for the love triangle, I didn't see enough, believe in either of the guys or even Callie enough to propose that she might be lucky in that department in the future. Let there be light and the mystery solved, with culprits where they belong and kids safe in their nests.
Also, no-yays! for asshole fathers. Who might or not have abducted a little girl(as Callie suspects her father might have). But who are assholes anyways.
Kudos on the cover and parched lips and weird, geometric irises, though. Me love it!
Review copy provided by Egmont USA.
Oblivion, somehow, ended up being one of the most tiresome stories I've read(or tried to) this year. And yeah, that includes
Afterwards, it all went downhill. And just continued. And its velocity compounded with every page. And it was summerrrrrrr. And hot. And afternoon. External factors + external factors begot an unhappy me, through no fault of mine I sway-uh.
First of all, for a thriller, for a mystery to actually develop, the story should move forward even if it involves tracing the past, or seeking lost memories. Leaving the plot stagnant while the characters engage in rubbish, tangential, and unflinchingly(or flinchingly, as the case may be) uncontributive scenes only works for so long, especially if the said scenes don't happen to enforce character dynamics. This is one of the major failures on part of Oblivion.
Sure, I read only the first 100-something pages, but even in a book 400 or 800 pages long, those beginnings shouldn't count for nothing.
The prose at the start became cloying and repetitive after a while. Another major disappointment, because were it not for the standstill and the unnecessary prolongation, this writing itself could have gone down a road I think I'd have coseyed up to.
Moreover, characters themselves didn't make a lasting impression on me, much less a positive one. Having abandoned this almost a month ago, all I can remember are the beginnings of a love triangle, which ordinarily I don't mind as much as the next reader, but because of fruitless attempts at chemistry I already saw it failing, and a sisterly best friend whose less-than-purrfect portrayal I enjoyed at first, but lackadaisical attempts and half-assed pejorative light bored the fuck out of me.
On the other hand, one thing I do remember liking is Callie's obviously affected and overblown views of her best friend, whom she claims to love very much so much we're best sisters forever won't leave each other. As evidenced by her numerous actions and reactions, the best friend wasn't the sweetest chick you could ask for but Callie seemed to reserve a love for her. And me likey! In the beginning, that is.
It's alllll in the beginning.
In any case, readers are welcome to prove me wrong, love this book and make fanclubs for the author. I've already seen reviews that contradict my personal, subjective opinions so yay! I hope Callie and her best friend have the speshulest friendship as Callie sees it, and when they're old and grey, they still wear socks of the other(FYI, I don't know if they do that). As for the love triangle, I didn't see enough, believe in either of the guys or even Callie enough to propose that she might be lucky in that department in the future. Let there be light and the mystery solved, with culprits where they belong and kids safe in their nests.
Also, no-yays! for asshole fathers. Who might or not have abducted a little girl(as Callie suspects her father might have). But who are assholes anyways.
Kudos on the cover and parched lips and weird, geometric irises, though. Me love it!
Review copy provided by Egmont USA.
May 14, 2018
Calliope’s father, a cult “pastor”, is missing. Also gone, a twelve-year-old girl he may have murdered. Callie thinks she killed him and blocked the memory. She has PTSD, an anxiety disorder. One symptom is graphomania, anxiety related compulsion to write. Her jumbled words lack meaning, though the police think they may be clues. Danger may lurk closer than Callie realizes.
I’m a big Sasha Dawn fan. OBLIVION isn’t her best work, but I was still intrigued rough to enjoy the mystery. Callie made some terrible choices with boys, including hooking up with her foster sister’s crush. She recognized how much she had to lose each time they snuck away, but didn’t seem able to stop herself. I had a hard time understanding this part of her. Callie’s foster family is the best living situation she’s ever had. She loves her sister, yet won’t tell Lindsey the truth. She was imperfect, yet easy to root for.
I’m a psychologist and super picky about getting the psych angle correct. Graphomania isn’t a psychiatric diagnosis in the DSM V or ICD-10. It’s a symptom so rare, no one I know has seen it. Callie’s graphomania is a symptom of her PTSD, not the diagnosis.
OBLIVION is more mystery than thriller. Dawn created a complex story with so many details I had trouble keeping them straight. I’ll probably need to reread at some point to see what I missed.
I do recommend OBLIVION as an imperfect but satisfying mystery.
I’m a big Sasha Dawn fan. OBLIVION isn’t her best work, but I was still intrigued rough to enjoy the mystery. Callie made some terrible choices with boys, including hooking up with her foster sister’s crush. She recognized how much she had to lose each time they snuck away, but didn’t seem able to stop herself. I had a hard time understanding this part of her. Callie’s foster family is the best living situation she’s ever had. She loves her sister, yet won’t tell Lindsey the truth. She was imperfect, yet easy to root for.
I’m a psychologist and super picky about getting the psych angle correct. Graphomania isn’t a psychiatric diagnosis in the DSM V or ICD-10. It’s a symptom so rare, no one I know has seen it. Callie’s graphomania is a symptom of her PTSD, not the diagnosis.
OBLIVION is more mystery than thriller. Dawn created a complex story with so many details I had trouble keeping them straight. I’ll probably need to reread at some point to see what I missed.
I do recommend OBLIVION as an imperfect but satisfying mystery.
February 18, 2014
ARC for review.
I really wanted to like this, and I certainly didn't hate it, it's just that it was FAR too long (nearly 400 hundred pages and could have been told in less than half that) and way too genre driven - it was decently-written and the plot showed some promise, but occasionally the plotting seemed to be done by an actual YA.
Callie is living with a foster family (she's been there a few months, but already her foster sister has become her REAL sister in her mind) after her mother is committed to a mental institution and her father disappears, possibly after kidnapping a young child and attacking Callie in some way - but Callie can't remember what happened and she's been suffering from graphomania since that night, and struggling to put the pieces together. So there's the general plot.
My primary problem (other than the length...I was afraid I would never finish) is that, while I know nothing about graphomania, the Callie described in this book is suffering from a serious mental illness, yet NONE of the adults "helping" her seem to realize this. I mean, Dawn uses it as a way to move the plot in that if Callie were an inpatient somewhere she couldn't run around playing detective, but I found it incredibly disturbing especially for a YA audience. When Callie has an attack of graphomania she actually blacks out and occasionally wakes up in completely different places with no memory of how she got there or what she's done, and she has multiple episodes each day. She decides that she doesn't want to take the medication that helps her (because it blunts her) and her foster parents, school principal and psychologist all allow this with only vague murmurings that perhaps she should reconsider. Anyway, I'm rambling, but I didn't like the message it was sending and I didn't like that all the adults were so useless.
Separate from that much of the book seemed very disjointed, the romance (I really hated John, a most unrealistic character, I thought. A girl he barely knows is suffering breakdowns right in front of him and he decides they are beautiful and poetic? First, that's insane itself, and second, I'm guessing most teenage boys would run screaming) and "mean girl" elements were a bit prevalent in a case where a girl is fighting for her sanity, oh and did I mention it was way too long. Perhaps with additional edits and some reworks I would have liked this more, but as is I can't really recommend.
I really wanted to like this, and I certainly didn't hate it, it's just that it was FAR too long (nearly 400 hundred pages and could have been told in less than half that) and way too genre driven - it was decently-written and the plot showed some promise, but occasionally the plotting seemed to be done by an actual YA.
Callie is living with a foster family (she's been there a few months, but already her foster sister has become her REAL sister in her mind) after her mother is committed to a mental institution and her father disappears, possibly after kidnapping a young child and attacking Callie in some way - but Callie can't remember what happened and she's been suffering from graphomania since that night, and struggling to put the pieces together. So there's the general plot.
My primary problem (other than the length...I was afraid I would never finish) is that, while I know nothing about graphomania, the Callie described in this book is suffering from a serious mental illness, yet NONE of the adults "helping" her seem to realize this. I mean, Dawn uses it as a way to move the plot in that if Callie were an inpatient somewhere she couldn't run around playing detective, but I found it incredibly disturbing especially for a YA audience. When Callie has an attack of graphomania she actually blacks out and occasionally wakes up in completely different places with no memory of how she got there or what she's done, and she has multiple episodes each day. She decides that she doesn't want to take the medication that helps her (because it blunts her) and her foster parents, school principal and psychologist all allow this with only vague murmurings that perhaps she should reconsider. Anyway, I'm rambling, but I didn't like the message it was sending and I didn't like that all the adults were so useless.
Separate from that much of the book seemed very disjointed, the romance (I really hated John, a most unrealistic character, I thought. A girl he barely knows is suffering breakdowns right in front of him and he decides they are beautiful and poetic? First, that's insane itself, and second, I'm guessing most teenage boys would run screaming) and "mean girl" elements were a bit prevalent in a case where a girl is fighting for her sanity, oh and did I mention it was way too long. Perhaps with additional edits and some reworks I would have liked this more, but as is I can't really recommend.
February 22, 2014
(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to Egmont USA and Netgalley.)
17-year-old Calliope can’t remember what happened 1 year ago when her father and a 12-year-old girl (Hannah) went missing. All she knows is that ever since she has suffered from graphomania, and cannot stop writing down random words, which may be clues to the mystery of what happened.
What happened to Calliope? Where is her father now? And will Calliope ever decipher the answers from her writing?
This was an interesting mystery story about a girl with graphomania.
Calliope was an interesting character, but she was a bit difficult to understand at times. I liked how she tried to keep on getting on with her life, even when things were difficult, and I actually felt sorry for her with her fractured mind.
I liked the storyline in this, although Calliope’s mental illness (graphomania), as well as her missing memories made the story a bit jumpy at times. I liked the mystery over what happened to Calliope the night her father disappeared, and what happened to Hannah. I liked the way Calliope’s seemingly random writing actually held clues as to what had happened to her, and I didn’t really guess what had happened.
There was some romance, although it was in the form of a love-square! I was a bit worried at the way Calliope seemed to be telling her sister that a boy who she liked (John) was into her, when really he was into Calliope, and could see a big argument coming!
The ending to this was pretty good, although again; things were a little confusing at times. I did like the way the story ended though, and how we found out what had happened to Calliope though.
Overall; an interesting YA mystery story,
7.5 out of 10.
17-year-old Calliope can’t remember what happened 1 year ago when her father and a 12-year-old girl (Hannah) went missing. All she knows is that ever since she has suffered from graphomania, and cannot stop writing down random words, which may be clues to the mystery of what happened.
What happened to Calliope? Where is her father now? And will Calliope ever decipher the answers from her writing?
This was an interesting mystery story about a girl with graphomania.
Calliope was an interesting character, but she was a bit difficult to understand at times. I liked how she tried to keep on getting on with her life, even when things were difficult, and I actually felt sorry for her with her fractured mind.
I liked the storyline in this, although Calliope’s mental illness (graphomania), as well as her missing memories made the story a bit jumpy at times. I liked the mystery over what happened to Calliope the night her father disappeared, and what happened to Hannah. I liked the way Calliope’s seemingly random writing actually held clues as to what had happened to her, and I didn’t really guess what had happened.
There was some romance, although it was in the form of a love-square! I was a bit worried at the way Calliope seemed to be telling her sister that a boy who she liked (John) was into her, when really he was into Calliope, and could see a big argument coming!
The ending to this was pretty good, although again; things were a little confusing at times. I did like the way the story ended though, and how we found out what had happened to Calliope though.
Overall; an interesting YA mystery story,
7.5 out of 10.
September 16, 2019
This was so boring I really disliked it, I’ve had this book for a few years now and I’m wishing I never bought it 🙄🙄🙄
June 15, 2014
Honestly, I don't know what just happened. Reading this book was sorta like reading a random teens "novel in the making" with its amateur content, vocabulary, and writing in general. The plot line, however, was very original and intriguing. I have never heard of graphomania, which makes sense because graphomania is very rare, and there isn't much known about it, but I liked how the author developed this disorder and created a very great plot-line entwined with it. Callie's graphomania caused her to compulsively write words, which all eventually lead into the plot. However, Callie's "detective solving" by looking at her words was VERY far fetched and confusing for me, the reader, to follow along with. I felt like the author threw in words and then was like "this needs to connect... uh LETS KILL RANDOM DUDE AND MAKE THAT WHY!!!" because everything was very far fetched and/or confusing.
The characters also were very bipolar and not developed very well, other than Callie and John. Also, there is a whole lot of sex. A WHOLE LOT and it was like really unnecessary. Also, I was very confused because I didn't even realized it happened. The author sort of skips over that part. And then she's like "oh btw they had sex in that one sentience and everyone knows because everyone saw" and I'm like "wut."
Also, the characters were coming out of know where. Like, I'm pretty sure there was incest here because of John's cousin being like... IDK.
Did I mention this book was very confusing?
I liked the concept of this book. It was very strong and the words created wonderful poems and a great plot line. However, I feel like there was a bit to much, and the author should have gone back and reduced the drama, and instead made better characters that we could attach and relate to.
The characters also were very bipolar and not developed very well, other than Callie and John. Also, there is a whole lot of sex. A WHOLE LOT and it was like really unnecessary. Also, I was very confused because I didn't even realized it happened. The author sort of skips over that part. And then she's like "oh btw they had sex in that one sentience and everyone knows because everyone saw" and I'm like "wut."
Also, the characters were coming out of know where. Like, I'm pretty sure there was incest here because of John's cousin being like... IDK.
Did I mention this book was very confusing?
I liked the concept of this book. It was very strong and the words created wonderful poems and a great plot line. However, I feel like there was a bit to much, and the author should have gone back and reduced the drama, and instead made better characters that we could attach and relate to.
July 25, 2014
3.5 stars
Contrary to what I expected going into this one, I actually quite liked Oblivion. Sure, it meanders a lot in terms of the plotting, it's over a 100 pages longer than it needs to be and it does get repetitive at some points, but I found the whole thing riveting for some reason.
I think that what hooked me about the novel is how different it is. Oblivion is edgy and bold and it went in directions that I did not expect it to and that I am sure not many authors would dare to go to. From the story to the characters, the author didn't shy away from rawness, brutality, ugliness and flaws, and that had an impact on me that I did not expect. Callie, our main character, is a perfect example of that. She is clearly disturbed, definitely not perfect, prone to making mistakes and sometimes unapologetic about it, but still not wholly unsympathetic and definitely not uninteresting. She was a strange brand of YA heroine, a flawed, broken one that definitely had me intrigued from beginning to end.
I found the way the author handled the romantic plot in the novel fascinating. I am used to authors glorifying first loves, sanctifying guys and bleaching away all the possible ugliness out of young love. It is all perfect and glorious and squeaky clean. That is not the case in Oblivion with Callie and the other two wheels in her love triangle, Elijah and John. In fact, this whole love triangle is a messy tangle of mistakes and terribly wrong reasons, a wreck for all intent and purposes, and yet still fascinating. I liked it because it was honest, brutally so, but honest nonetheless. It never tried to paint love as this saving grace, as this true, beautiful, pure thing that never gets confused or tarnished. Quite frankly, all the relationships in this novel were flawed, even ugly, and yet I never once doubted their existence. I honestly believed Callie and Elijah loved each other, sick as it was, and I actually believed Lindsey and Callie did love each other as sister, horrible as that relationship turned, all of which I find absolutely fascinating and which I consider a fairly great show of skill on the author's part. That doesn't mean I agree with some of the things that went down in this book, especially how quickly things got serious between John and Callie and definitely how the relationship between Lindsey and Callie developed, - especially the amount of slut shaming and mean girl drama -, but I can't say it didn't keep me interested or that it hurt in any way my feelings for the book.
The writing in this novel does need some getting used to. It's jerky, repetitive, disjointed at times and vague at others. There were times where I honestly got lost and had to go back and reread because I hadn't been able to understand what had happened at one point and had become relevant at another. But in the end, I think this added a believable quality to Callie's damaged psyche. I particularly liked how the graphomania was used, how it contributed to the mystery and helped develop the story. The story could've definitely unfurled faster than it did. The book takes quite a while to get anywhere and there was a point where it started to get very repetitive. I was also slightly disappointed by the fact that, in spite of the characters' efforts, the mystery kind of gets solved by itself,and there were admittedly some holes in the story or things that are left slightly and unconvincingly unexplained.
In the end, in spite of all its obvious flaws, I found myself oddly pleased with this one. I didn't expect to, not even when I was reading it; it wasn't until the end that it even hit me that I'd actually enjoyed the novel, but the truth is that the novel managed to mesmerize me somehow from beginning to end, and these days, that's not something I can easily ignore in spite of the novel's flaws. Eerie, disturbing and even somewhat brutal, Oblivion was a riveting book and a nice surprise for me. I can see where other readers would hate it, but I appreciate the author's boldness, the originality of the book and the rawness of it, regardless of its many flaws.
Contrary to what I expected going into this one, I actually quite liked Oblivion. Sure, it meanders a lot in terms of the plotting, it's over a 100 pages longer than it needs to be and it does get repetitive at some points, but I found the whole thing riveting for some reason.
I think that what hooked me about the novel is how different it is. Oblivion is edgy and bold and it went in directions that I did not expect it to and that I am sure not many authors would dare to go to. From the story to the characters, the author didn't shy away from rawness, brutality, ugliness and flaws, and that had an impact on me that I did not expect. Callie, our main character, is a perfect example of that. She is clearly disturbed, definitely not perfect, prone to making mistakes and sometimes unapologetic about it, but still not wholly unsympathetic and definitely not uninteresting. She was a strange brand of YA heroine, a flawed, broken one that definitely had me intrigued from beginning to end.
I found the way the author handled the romantic plot in the novel fascinating. I am used to authors glorifying first loves, sanctifying guys and bleaching away all the possible ugliness out of young love. It is all perfect and glorious and squeaky clean. That is not the case in Oblivion with Callie and the other two wheels in her love triangle, Elijah and John. In fact, this whole love triangle is a messy tangle of mistakes and terribly wrong reasons, a wreck for all intent and purposes, and yet still fascinating. I liked it because it was honest, brutally so, but honest nonetheless. It never tried to paint love as this saving grace, as this true, beautiful, pure thing that never gets confused or tarnished. Quite frankly, all the relationships in this novel were flawed, even ugly, and yet I never once doubted their existence. I honestly believed Callie and Elijah loved each other, sick as it was, and I actually believed Lindsey and Callie did love each other as sister, horrible as that relationship turned, all of which I find absolutely fascinating and which I consider a fairly great show of skill on the author's part. That doesn't mean I agree with some of the things that went down in this book, especially how quickly things got serious between John and Callie and definitely how the relationship between Lindsey and Callie developed, - especially the amount of slut shaming and mean girl drama -, but I can't say it didn't keep me interested or that it hurt in any way my feelings for the book.
The writing in this novel does need some getting used to. It's jerky, repetitive, disjointed at times and vague at others. There were times where I honestly got lost and had to go back and reread because I hadn't been able to understand what had happened at one point and had become relevant at another. But in the end, I think this added a believable quality to Callie's damaged psyche. I particularly liked how the graphomania was used, how it contributed to the mystery and helped develop the story. The story could've definitely unfurled faster than it did. The book takes quite a while to get anywhere and there was a point where it started to get very repetitive. I was also slightly disappointed by the fact that, in spite of the characters' efforts, the mystery kind of gets solved by itself,and there were admittedly some holes in the story or things that are left slightly and unconvincingly unexplained.
In the end, in spite of all its obvious flaws, I found myself oddly pleased with this one. I didn't expect to, not even when I was reading it; it wasn't until the end that it even hit me that I'd actually enjoyed the novel, but the truth is that the novel managed to mesmerize me somehow from beginning to end, and these days, that's not something I can easily ignore in spite of the novel's flaws. Eerie, disturbing and even somewhat brutal, Oblivion was a riveting book and a nice surprise for me. I can see where other readers would hate it, but I appreciate the author's boldness, the originality of the book and the rawness of it, regardless of its many flaws.
February 21, 2014
(I received a copy from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.)
Oblivion felt a lot longer than what it was.
At first, i really didn't like this.
It was jumpy, and really confusing.
Thankfully, it did get better at the halfway point, and i started to like it.
The last ten chapters were really good. They just managed to save the book for me!
I started out not liking any of the characters, and unfortunately, that never changed.
I did feel sorry for Callie at times, but she still never grew on me.
Overall, an okay read, but took me ages to get into it.
Oblivion felt a lot longer than what it was.
At first, i really didn't like this.
It was jumpy, and really confusing.
Thankfully, it did get better at the halfway point, and i started to like it.
The last ten chapters were really good. They just managed to save the book for me!
I started out not liking any of the characters, and unfortunately, that never changed.
I did feel sorry for Callie at times, but she still never grew on me.
Overall, an okay read, but took me ages to get into it.
to-read-arc-or-galley
August 5, 2014Holy crud, my galley copy of this is like 791 pages. This is huge! o___O
But it looks really intriguing, so I'm definitely going for this one. Will read it a little closer in to its release date.
But it looks really intriguing, so I'm definitely going for this one. Will read it a little closer in to its release date.
April 9, 2015
Ugh, boring first book of the year. Slow throughout, although some moments peaked my interest. Definitely not on any favorites lists.
August 19, 2014
Wow, what a mind-bending mystery.
I loved the lyrics and the lines and the writing. I'd never heard of her disorder, Graphomania, and every time her world spiraled and she couldn't breath and she clutched for a red pen and a notebook - my heart broke. I can't even imagine. The fact that she could even try to go to school and continue life was a testament to her strength. But the grace and sass she used to get through it was wonderful. I loved how imperfect and flawed she was - NOT that she was the only flawed person in this book! I love the all for their ugly sides.
And the words and the tangled mystery - I never would have found it. Never spotted it. and I loved every page of it!
I loved the lyrics and the lines and the writing. I'd never heard of her disorder, Graphomania, and every time her world spiraled and she couldn't breath and she clutched for a red pen and a notebook - my heart broke. I can't even imagine. The fact that she could even try to go to school and continue life was a testament to her strength. But the grace and sass she used to get through it was wonderful. I loved how imperfect and flawed she was - NOT that she was the only flawed person in this book! I love the all for their ugly sides.
And the words and the tangled mystery - I never would have found it. Never spotted it. and I loved every page of it!
December 21, 2019
the story was okay but the love whatever was kinda pointless. if itd mention it in the synopsis i may not have picked it up.
February 20, 2014
Oblivion was a book I could not put down for the life of me. The mystery had me guessing and it was tough trying to piece together the clues left from Callie’s graphomania. I never saw a book that used graphomania as a plot device and I found it turned a simple murder mystery plot into a very intense and dark suspenseful read.
Callie’s graphomania, an impulse to write, emerged after her father and a little girl went missing. The scenes where Callie disappears from reality and has an impulsive writing episode were exceptionally well written. I could see myself inside of Callie’s troubled brain and could empathize with the horror she experienced as she lost time. Callie has suffered horrible abuse and the writing is the only way she can properly express herself.
Callie is a flawed and unreliable narrator, but I still liked her character. She was a doormat at times, but she was certainly that way because of how horribly she had been treated. There’s a romance with Callie and two men. One of the boys was horrible and honestly I couldn’t believe she kept him around for as long as she did. The other boy came off as little too good to be true, but I still liked him.
The pace was good although the book was quite long for a young adult book. The author put a lot of detail into Callie’s writing episodes and it really set the haunting tone of the novel. I think a few sub-plots could’ve been eliminated like some mean girl drama at Callie’s high school, but otherwise I never felt bored while reading. The only other complaint I would have is that I don’t think Callie’s condition was handled realistically. I can’t imagine that the adults in her life (a psychiatrist, teachers, police officers and foster parents) would allow her to have these blackout episodes and not do something drastic to get her health. They don’t pressure her to take her medicine and never threaten to admit her to the same mental facility as her mother.
The plot is dark with themes such as sexual abuse, physical abuse, abduction, mental illness and religious fanaticism. I believe this is considered YA, but would likely be most appropriate for older teens and adults.
Rating: 4/5 Stars
I received a copy of Oblivion from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
Callie’s graphomania, an impulse to write, emerged after her father and a little girl went missing. The scenes where Callie disappears from reality and has an impulsive writing episode were exceptionally well written. I could see myself inside of Callie’s troubled brain and could empathize with the horror she experienced as she lost time. Callie has suffered horrible abuse and the writing is the only way she can properly express herself.
Callie is a flawed and unreliable narrator, but I still liked her character. She was a doormat at times, but she was certainly that way because of how horribly she had been treated. There’s a romance with Callie and two men. One of the boys was horrible and honestly I couldn’t believe she kept him around for as long as she did. The other boy came off as little too good to be true, but I still liked him.
The pace was good although the book was quite long for a young adult book. The author put a lot of detail into Callie’s writing episodes and it really set the haunting tone of the novel. I think a few sub-plots could’ve been eliminated like some mean girl drama at Callie’s high school, but otherwise I never felt bored while reading. The only other complaint I would have is that I don’t think Callie’s condition was handled realistically. I can’t imagine that the adults in her life (a psychiatrist, teachers, police officers and foster parents) would allow her to have these blackout episodes and not do something drastic to get her health. They don’t pressure her to take her medicine and never threaten to admit her to the same mental facility as her mother.
The plot is dark with themes such as sexual abuse, physical abuse, abduction, mental illness and religious fanaticism. I believe this is considered YA, but would likely be most appropriate for older teens and adults.
Rating: 4/5 Stars
I received a copy of Oblivion from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
July 12, 2014
I would perhaps like to rate this one four stars for concept, two stars for execution. I love books with unreliable narrators and I quite liked the presentation of Callie's false memories and the manner in which the truth was revealed bit by bit. While I see other reviews stating that the book was too long, I found the writing style led to me flying through the story.
All that said, this book had a lot of problems:
All that said, this book had a lot of problems:
December 29, 2014
In the style of popular TV programs like CSI and Dexter, Sasha Dawn has weaved a web of intrigue, suspense, and insanity in this debut novel. The main character, Callie, suffers from a diagnosed compulsion to write - graphomania - that is a coping mechanism for her traumatic past. Callie's father, a respected pastor, has disappeared along with a young girl from the church community. Callie thinks she was there the night they disappeared, and that her memories are blocked, but somehow reveal themselves in her writing. Callie must navigate the mysteries of her memories, along with a budding relationship with a classmate and a complicated and mature relationship with a boy from her time in juvie. Callie has big problem, adult problems, and that means this book isn't for young readers or the faint of heart. There is child abuse, murder, sexual abuse, trauma and kidnapping - all the kinds of things you would see in a TV crime thriller. OBLIVION is recommended for fans of those kinds of TV shows, or for teens looking for a mature thriller novel.
Grades: 10-12
Characterization: Great
Literary Merit: High
Recommended: Highly recommended for public libraries, optional purchase for school libraries
Grades: 10-12
Characterization: Great
Literary Merit: High
Recommended: Highly recommended for public libraries, optional purchase for school libraries
January 7, 2016
This book it absolutely incredible! I'm glad to have had this recommended to me by my cousin! I could not put it down for a single second. I was surprised that I liked this book as much as I did, considering that this isn't the type of book I usually read (Mostly dystopias and YA fiction). I have to admit, I was a little hesitant at first, it was sitting on my bookshelf for about 3 months before I actually picked it up and started reading it. But, I'm glad that I did. This book definitely deserves 5 stars! *I've also never heard of Graphomania before reading this book. That was a very interesting this to have experienced in a book!*
May 5, 2016
This book was mysterious and that,s what I liked about it. It also had a little romance which was okay in my opinion. But anyways if you like mysterious books with a dash of romance I would totally recommend this book for you.
February 7, 2016
GREAT book! Fantastic suspense the entire time...although a bit slow in the beginning its worth holding out for.
April 22, 2017
This book was OK.
I felt like the author focused more on Calliope's love life.
The book didn't get interesting until like the middle of the book.
I felt like the author focused more on Calliope's love life.
The book didn't get interesting until like the middle of the book.
January 16, 2018
The book “Oblivion” written by Sasha Dawn told a story about a girl with amnesia who has been plagued by graphomania - an obsession with words. Personally, I enjoyed this book very much because it hooked me up all the way until the end. However, there’s still a lot of unnecessary events and details that can be deleted.
Throughout the book, Dawn used a lot of similes and metaphors to help readers paint images that carry more emotions than words. For example, “The words overpower me. They bleed through my flesh like sweat, pound in my head like a thousand tiny fists beating me from the inside, churn in my gut like a hamster running amok on a wire wheel”(56). This comparison gave me an understanding of how profoundly the words were pounding in her head. By using the comparisons, Dawn helps readers better understand what she’s trying to convey.
I also like the point of view Dawn used. She used first person point of view to show the readers how the characters think and feel. For example, “Tears trickle down my cheeks as the feeling of cold marble permeating through the back of my thighs slowly pulls me back to reality. The brisk breeze washes over me, sends a chill through my veins”(114). This use of first person point of view made me feel that the character is more intimate to me like she is sitting right in front of me. And the emotions are so strong that I can feel how the character feels.
Additionally, there’s a lot of foreshadowing used. There were clues on every few pages and they eventually came together like pieces of a puzzle. The information provided didn’t seem to mean anything at the beginning, but by the end of the story, all of those lead up to the conclusion of what really happened in the past. Those foreshadowings used create a suspense atmosphere and made me interested to know more about the story.
I would highly recommend this book to people who enjoyed “In the Wood” by Tana French, “Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn, or any other mystery books. If you enjoy the movie ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ or ‘Identity’, then you will probably enjoy this book as well.
Throughout the book, Dawn used a lot of similes and metaphors to help readers paint images that carry more emotions than words. For example, “The words overpower me. They bleed through my flesh like sweat, pound in my head like a thousand tiny fists beating me from the inside, churn in my gut like a hamster running amok on a wire wheel”(56). This comparison gave me an understanding of how profoundly the words were pounding in her head. By using the comparisons, Dawn helps readers better understand what she’s trying to convey.
I also like the point of view Dawn used. She used first person point of view to show the readers how the characters think and feel. For example, “Tears trickle down my cheeks as the feeling of cold marble permeating through the back of my thighs slowly pulls me back to reality. The brisk breeze washes over me, sends a chill through my veins”(114). This use of first person point of view made me feel that the character is more intimate to me like she is sitting right in front of me. And the emotions are so strong that I can feel how the character feels.
Additionally, there’s a lot of foreshadowing used. There were clues on every few pages and they eventually came together like pieces of a puzzle. The information provided didn’t seem to mean anything at the beginning, but by the end of the story, all of those lead up to the conclusion of what really happened in the past. Those foreshadowings used create a suspense atmosphere and made me interested to know more about the story.
I would highly recommend this book to people who enjoyed “In the Wood” by Tana French, “Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn, or any other mystery books. If you enjoy the movie ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ or ‘Identity’, then you will probably enjoy this book as well.
December 15, 2017
Oblivion By Sasha Dawn
Lizzy Card period A1
This book is full of thrilling mysteries and shocking plot twists. The main character, Calliope Knowles, opens up the story by waking up in an apartment with words on the wall that she had written saying “ I KILLED HIM” everywhere. Calliope Knowles, also known as Callie, lives with her friend as a foster care home because her mother was put into a mental institution and her father a reverend that is missing. Her father went missing along with a girl by the name of Hannah Rynes. Callie suffers from amnesia and can’t remember what happened to her, but she did know that the reverend was not a good man. Callie also suffered from graphomania, where she blacks out and has to write something. Each episode she has is important; not knowing it yet, everything she writes is key to triggering her memory to come back a little more. Callie has to go to a therapist that tries to help her stop the graphomania. One way she writes less is when she is with her old boyfriend, Elijah, and is told to spend more time with him. Elijah and Callie met when they were in the same foster home for a few months. At school, her best friend, Lindsey who she happens to be staying with, has a huge crush on a guy. The only problem is the guy she likes is not interested in her, but Callie. Callie is attracted to him but knows he’s off limits because of her friend, which she calls her sister. Linseys crush gives Callie a note asking her to meet up with him. She agrees and they end up becoming good friends and really liking each other. The difference between Elijah and Jack is that Jack encourages her graphomania where Elijah tries to get her to suppress it. Jack tries to help her solve the meaning of what she is writing, which helps her get parts of her memory back. Being with Jack is good for Callie, but while she is with him the more problems it causes with her sister. Callie gets closer and closer, including finding her baby sister killed and buried in the ground beneath a red door. One night Callie was waiting to meet up with John when she was kidnapped by the reverend. He then tied her up and put a thorn crown on her, in attempt to sacrifice her. He then proceeded to stab her several times in the abdomen. She then was able to escape and get help. This book pulled me in the entire time I would recommend this book anyone who is into thriller books.
Lizzy Card period A1
This book is full of thrilling mysteries and shocking plot twists. The main character, Calliope Knowles, opens up the story by waking up in an apartment with words on the wall that she had written saying “ I KILLED HIM” everywhere. Calliope Knowles, also known as Callie, lives with her friend as a foster care home because her mother was put into a mental institution and her father a reverend that is missing. Her father went missing along with a girl by the name of Hannah Rynes. Callie suffers from amnesia and can’t remember what happened to her, but she did know that the reverend was not a good man. Callie also suffered from graphomania, where she blacks out and has to write something. Each episode she has is important; not knowing it yet, everything she writes is key to triggering her memory to come back a little more. Callie has to go to a therapist that tries to help her stop the graphomania. One way she writes less is when she is with her old boyfriend, Elijah, and is told to spend more time with him. Elijah and Callie met when they were in the same foster home for a few months. At school, her best friend, Lindsey who she happens to be staying with, has a huge crush on a guy. The only problem is the guy she likes is not interested in her, but Callie. Callie is attracted to him but knows he’s off limits because of her friend, which she calls her sister. Linseys crush gives Callie a note asking her to meet up with him. She agrees and they end up becoming good friends and really liking each other. The difference between Elijah and Jack is that Jack encourages her graphomania where Elijah tries to get her to suppress it. Jack tries to help her solve the meaning of what she is writing, which helps her get parts of her memory back. Being with Jack is good for Callie, but while she is with him the more problems it causes with her sister. Callie gets closer and closer, including finding her baby sister killed and buried in the ground beneath a red door. One night Callie was waiting to meet up with John when she was kidnapped by the reverend. He then tied her up and put a thorn crown on her, in attempt to sacrifice her. He then proceeded to stab her several times in the abdomen. She then was able to escape and get help. This book pulled me in the entire time I would recommend this book anyone who is into thriller books.
November 26, 2019
Overall Oblivion was average in my opinion. It wasn’t amazing or a bad book, it was moderate. The book was quite slow and was dragged out a lot. The book was semi-long, although I got through it relatively quickly as the words were large. The first half of the book took me a while to get through because of how boring it was, but the second half was more interesting as more secrets were revealed and Callie got more of her memories back. This book has some peaks of intensity, but overall I was bored throughout most of the book. The concept of the book, basing the book off of the main character having graphophobia, was very interesting. I’ve never heard about or read a book that centers their plot off of the main character having graphophobia. The concept was very intriguing and the execution of Callie’s graphophobia was captivating, how Dawn described Callie’s condition was one of the most interesting parts of the book.
Although I tried, I never got attached to any of the characters. I found the main character, Callie, annoying. I don’t know why but she always managed to get under my skin somehow. I wish the story was told through multiple points of view because Callie’s point of view throughout the whole story was mostly boring. Other than her graphophobia, there’s nothing else to her. Overall Callie doesn’t have a complex personality she’s very plain and basic. The writing style of the book was okay, I’ve read better. Dawn uses a pretty broad vocabulary, but the writing didn’t wow me. Her writing didn’t hook me in and make me want to finish the book. I dreaded reading the book because of how boring it was, it just didn’t interest me at all. It might be interesting to some people, but to me, I could fall asleep reading it. I would not recommend this book to people who get bored easily or who don’t enjoy slow stories.
Although I tried, I never got attached to any of the characters. I found the main character, Callie, annoying. I don’t know why but she always managed to get under my skin somehow. I wish the story was told through multiple points of view because Callie’s point of view throughout the whole story was mostly boring. Other than her graphophobia, there’s nothing else to her. Overall Callie doesn’t have a complex personality she’s very plain and basic. The writing style of the book was okay, I’ve read better. Dawn uses a pretty broad vocabulary, but the writing didn’t wow me. Her writing didn’t hook me in and make me want to finish the book. I dreaded reading the book because of how boring it was, it just didn’t interest me at all. It might be interesting to some people, but to me, I could fall asleep reading it. I would not recommend this book to people who get bored easily or who don’t enjoy slow stories.
June 13, 2017
3 stars for Oblivion
Thoughts and Plot
First thought: what the f*** did I just read???
Second thought: will it make better sense if I read it again? (And I do mean better, not more)
This is what I got out of it and it will contain spoilers.
Reverend Palmer kidnapped his first victim when he was 24 and she was 9. He dragged her off and abused her to the point she couldn't remember who she was. Later he turns his attention to their daughter, and a 12 year old girl named Hannah. He was bat sh*t crazy and a child molester who liked to torture his victims physically, emotionally and mentally.
Callie is a messed up kid living in a foster home. Her 'sister' is a right b**ch, her boyfriend is a lying cheater. She's mentally ill, with a severe compulsion to write, but only with a red pen. It's like her brain is trying to tell her something but it just can't get it across. Callie is trying to remember if she killed her father, or not and if her father killed Hannah, or not.
That is the simplest way I can sum up this book. It's messy. It's confusing. It reflects exactly how disoriented the narrator Callie is. And it's interesting...but confusing. lol Might have to reread it at some point to see if I can put the pieces together more coherently.
In Conclusion
The book its self could have done without the love triangle and the b***h of a pothead foster-sister...but all in all was decent. With the amount of sex and violence though, definitely not for the youngins' but more of a mature teen/young adult read.
Age range: Mature teen/young adult and up
Content: lots of sex,kissing,violence, disturbing episodes, slut shaming, etc.
Thoughts and Plot
First thought: what the f*** did I just read???
Second thought: will it make better sense if I read it again? (And I do mean better, not more)
This is what I got out of it and it will contain spoilers.
Reverend Palmer kidnapped his first victim when he was 24 and she was 9. He dragged her off and abused her to the point she couldn't remember who she was. Later he turns his attention to their daughter, and a 12 year old girl named Hannah. He was bat sh*t crazy and a child molester who liked to torture his victims physically, emotionally and mentally.
Callie is a messed up kid living in a foster home. Her 'sister' is a right b**ch, her boyfriend is a lying cheater. She's mentally ill, with a severe compulsion to write, but only with a red pen. It's like her brain is trying to tell her something but it just can't get it across. Callie is trying to remember if she killed her father, or not and if her father killed Hannah, or not.
That is the simplest way I can sum up this book. It's messy. It's confusing. It reflects exactly how disoriented the narrator Callie is. And it's interesting...but confusing. lol Might have to reread it at some point to see if I can put the pieces together more coherently.
In Conclusion
The book its self could have done without the love triangle and the b***h of a pothead foster-sister...but all in all was decent. With the amount of sex and violence though, definitely not for the youngins' but more of a mature teen/young adult read.
Age range: Mature teen/young adult and up
Content: lots of sex,kissing,violence, disturbing episodes, slut shaming, etc.
December 23, 2024
Callie believes she knows what happened to her father and a missing twelve year old girl. In order to retrieve her memories she purges words from her mind in a trance like state of mind. She Carrie’s a notebook and red marker pen for when she experiences one of these episodes.
..
Authorities think she knows about her fathers disappearance. Every time Callie completes a notebook she leaves one with detectives.
…
Oblivion is a poetic mystery involving a fifteen year old girl who suffers from graphomania. One of her symptoms at restoring memory loss is writing down all the words that plague her mind. It’s her minds way of detoxifying the mind of a traumatic experience.
…
Brandi Reeds has written some amazing stories. Just when I thought I found everything she’s written I came across Oblivion. This isn’t anything like her other books, yet I still found it fascinating in its depth to unlock clues buried in her mind.
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I appreciate the unique process used to to create this mystery, however I didn’t find it as thrilling as her other books. Unlocking clues to find a missing father and girl by someone who has visions of words was interesting.
..
Authorities think she knows about her fathers disappearance. Every time Callie completes a notebook she leaves one with detectives.
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Oblivion is a poetic mystery involving a fifteen year old girl who suffers from graphomania. One of her symptoms at restoring memory loss is writing down all the words that plague her mind. It’s her minds way of detoxifying the mind of a traumatic experience.
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Brandi Reeds has written some amazing stories. Just when I thought I found everything she’s written I came across Oblivion. This isn’t anything like her other books, yet I still found it fascinating in its depth to unlock clues buried in her mind.
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I appreciate the unique process used to to create this mystery, however I didn’t find it as thrilling as her other books. Unlocking clues to find a missing father and girl by someone who has visions of words was interesting.
November 29, 2019
I first read this book in seventh grade, which, looking back on it, was way too young to have read this book, but I was hooked from the first page. I think I read it another three times that year. I read it in two days this time, when I’m old enough to really understand the stuff about drugs and sex and murder, and despite having read it five times, I still pretty much have no idea what happens. Five stars! I like the weird writing style the most: the contrast of beautiful descriptions with jerky action, and the contrast of those with Callie’s poetry. I also loved the way the author showed the true nature of her characters. People lie. People cheat. People are crazy. That’s how life is, and I think Ms. Dawn did an incredible job portraying that. My favorite quote is pulled from Callie’s poetry: “Walk not on the cobblestone paths of her memory in black-veiled grief to relieve you Mourn not for her mind her beauty her mouth drawn down so quick to believe you[.]” Those lines have haunted me for years.
August 20, 2018
This book was quite a boring read for me, if you want me to be honest.
My one word for this book is: confusing.
I got lost so many times I wasn’t really sure what was going on at all. Even if I did go back a few pages to see what I zoned out at, or simply didn’t understand. The story that Calliope is trying to figure out really confuses me. I’m still hazy on how John’s cousin got mixed up with Calliope’s mom, and the whole Loraine Ohio thing and the dress and whatnot, I’m still lost about.
Setting wise, I was very lost in some instances, especially with the chapters where they found Lindsey and somehow Calliope ended up at the Hutches Home and suddenly on a boat with Palmer?
I think this book would’ve been so much better if things were explained more properly.
Although, I’ll give it the three stars for originality and interesting characters, other than that, I’m not sure this was quite worth the read, but hey, that’s only my opinion.
My one word for this book is: confusing.
I got lost so many times I wasn’t really sure what was going on at all. Even if I did go back a few pages to see what I zoned out at, or simply didn’t understand. The story that Calliope is trying to figure out really confuses me. I’m still hazy on how John’s cousin got mixed up with Calliope’s mom, and the whole Loraine Ohio thing and the dress and whatnot, I’m still lost about.
Setting wise, I was very lost in some instances, especially with the chapters where they found Lindsey and somehow Calliope ended up at the Hutches Home and suddenly on a boat with Palmer?
I think this book would’ve been so much better if things were explained more properly.
Although, I’ll give it the three stars for originality and interesting characters, other than that, I’m not sure this was quite worth the read, but hey, that’s only my opinion.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 21, 2021
2.5 stars, rounded up. This book was much longer than it needed to be, with the same cycle happening over and over but giving the reader basically no information. A murder mystery needs to be fast-paced with clues that allow the reader to try to guess what happened. This book repeatedly gave me nothing to go on, which made it difficult to care. After 300 pages of nothing, the ending felt very rushed.
Also, not a fan of the slutshaming. The girls call each other whores for sleeping with 1 guy. And the story of Lindsey and John hooking up was really sketchy. John casually talks about how there was alcohol involved and he regrets it and hasn't drank since-- definitely feels like things may not have been entirely consensual on his end, but it's never addressed.
It held my attention enough, but I wouldn't recommend.
Also, not a fan of the slutshaming. The girls call each other whores for sleeping with 1 guy. And the story of Lindsey and John hooking up was really sketchy. John casually talks about how there was alcohol involved and he regrets it and hasn't drank since-- definitely feels like things may not have been entirely consensual on his end, but it's never addressed.
It held my attention enough, but I wouldn't recommend.
March 24, 2022
My rating and feelings on this book are pretty moderate, and a little low too. I think that overall the book had a good plot to convey, adding on, the way the story was spaced was pretty boring and didn’t really make much sense. The book’s genre is young adult realistic fiction and suspense, so if the reader is interested in those types of books I would suggest it. Oblivion had started off to be pretty interesting however the more pages you read in the storyline had started to slow down more and more. Other than Callie’s graphomania problem she also has many problems with the guys in her life, basically a love triangle that later turns into a love square. Many parts of the book had felt very unnecessary and there were many times when I had thought to stop reading the book because the chapters hadn’t felt really put together well. I think I would rate this book to 2.5 stars out of 5
January 10, 2017
For me, realistic fiction is not one of the genres that I usually go for. I will not read a romantic contemporary to save my life. I am attempting to expand my horizons so that I will have a better variety of books to offer my students. I picked this one because I like suspense and murder mystery type of books. This fit those those qualifications, and it had a unique spin, and a twist at the end that I didn't see coming. That being said, it was just ok for me. I need the quality of writing that my favorite fantasy/scifi writers provide. I never really connected with any of the characters on a deep level. So, for me, it was an interesting story and worth my time to read....but, that is it.
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