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exit
"Did you know I spent the whole of my fifteenth year in my room?"
Briar’s impromptu, mid-afternoon confession stirs up distant memories of the lonely time she spent trapped in her home; suffering agoraphobia — fear of open spaces.
Now it’s six years later.
She’s free, but the year's isolation has left serious personality disorders; disorders which will resurface as she relates her own story, and that of those in her orbit; Melodie, a pretty valley girl who Briar desires to be, Justine, her oldest friend, who has her own dark secret, and Dermot, a man who thinks he's the reincarnation of Robin Hood — stealing from the rich to give to the poor.
Slowly Dermot begins to draw Briar into his ever-so-exciting world, but who is leading whom on their slow descent into crime? Duel periods of Briar’s life intertwine like a rope around her neck as her lost year begins to overtake the present. It leads her to the answer to one very simple question:
“Is it what I always feared — am I losing my mind?”
Briar’s impromptu, mid-afternoon confession stirs up distant memories of the lonely time she spent trapped in her home; suffering agoraphobia — fear of open spaces.
Now it’s six years later.
She’s free, but the year's isolation has left serious personality disorders; disorders which will resurface as she relates her own story, and that of those in her orbit; Melodie, a pretty valley girl who Briar desires to be, Justine, her oldest friend, who has her own dark secret, and Dermot, a man who thinks he's the reincarnation of Robin Hood — stealing from the rich to give to the poor.
Slowly Dermot begins to draw Briar into his ever-so-exciting world, but who is leading whom on their slow descent into crime? Duel periods of Briar’s life intertwine like a rope around her neck as her lost year begins to overtake the present. It leads her to the answer to one very simple question:
“Is it what I always feared — am I losing my mind?”
222 pages, Paperback
First published November 5, 2013
2 people are currently reading
11 people want to read
About the author
Shane Filer
11 books24 followersShane Filer writes novels and comics. He lives in New Zealand with a very old Tonkinese cat. He likes oranges, orange juice, and orange furniture — in fact even the color orange. Why? Well, because it's the best color, of course. While he believes that being a grown up is not all it's cracked up to be, he still enjoys ruining his appetite before dinner, and staying up past his bed time.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 27, 2023
Impossible to read through it. 6 years unfinished.
December 30, 2013
For the past six years, Briar has dealt with her Agoraphobia, slowly coming out of her self-imposed isolation. She fears wide open spaces, afraid of mingling with huge crowds. She's not sure as to what brought on the disorder, but she's doing everything possible to overcome it. So much so, that she's willing to give her friends a chance once more.
Delving into the secrets of her past, Briar tries to understand what brought about the condition. There are things she knows she shouldn't dwell upon, as they'll do her more harm than good. Sadly, she can't help herself. If she's to succeed in integrating herself into society once more, she'll need to lay her ghosts to rest. Deep inside, she knows that's easier said than done, but she'll do everything possible to make sure she comes out on top.
Her life takes a different turn when she meets Dermot, a man who considers himself a modern-day Robin Hood. He steals from the rich, and gives back to the poor, never once thinking about his own circumstances. The thought of living such a thrilling life draws her in, and she soon finds herself doing things she's never done before.
Briar knows that she's walking on thin ice. Dermot isn't good for her, but she doesn't care. In being with him, she's able to come out of her shell, and experience things she never has before. Her past is catching up with her, however, intent on making her come to terms with things she's tried to ignore up until now. Little does she know, time is running out.
Exit is quite an interesting story. It's a tale that gives you food for thought, and gives you a little insight on a condition a good many suffer from in real life. Shane has created a character in which anyone can relate to. Briar's vulnerability and insecurities come across very clearly, and it's not that hard to feel for her as she tries to overcome the adversities coming her way. I'm definitely looking forward to more of Shane's future works. Thanks for a truly engrossing story!
Delving into the secrets of her past, Briar tries to understand what brought about the condition. There are things she knows she shouldn't dwell upon, as they'll do her more harm than good. Sadly, she can't help herself. If she's to succeed in integrating herself into society once more, she'll need to lay her ghosts to rest. Deep inside, she knows that's easier said than done, but she'll do everything possible to make sure she comes out on top.
Her life takes a different turn when she meets Dermot, a man who considers himself a modern-day Robin Hood. He steals from the rich, and gives back to the poor, never once thinking about his own circumstances. The thought of living such a thrilling life draws her in, and she soon finds herself doing things she's never done before.
Briar knows that she's walking on thin ice. Dermot isn't good for her, but she doesn't care. In being with him, she's able to come out of her shell, and experience things she never has before. Her past is catching up with her, however, intent on making her come to terms with things she's tried to ignore up until now. Little does she know, time is running out.
Exit is quite an interesting story. It's a tale that gives you food for thought, and gives you a little insight on a condition a good many suffer from in real life. Shane has created a character in which anyone can relate to. Briar's vulnerability and insecurities come across very clearly, and it's not that hard to feel for her as she tries to overcome the adversities coming her way. I'm definitely looking forward to more of Shane's future works. Thanks for a truly engrossing story!
December 18, 2013
Briar Averill suffers from agoraphobia and panic attacks; she never left the house for a whole year when she was fifteen. It's now six years later, and Briar finds herself revealing her secret to her friends Justine and Melodie. These girls have problems of their own, which are slowly revealed throughout the book. Throw in Briar's brother Paul, Justine's abusive boyfriend Addison, and Melodie's new roommate Dermot, and we have some serious fireworks.
The narrative jumps between Briar's past and present experiences and is interspersed with fragments of Briar's short story about the Last Man, whose lonely life parallels her own. As the story-telling becomes more fragmented toward the end of the book, we begin to wonder what is real and what is not. As Briar herself says, "Sometimes it's so very difficult to know what's the truth anymore."
There are some minor editing errors, especially the misuse of certain words, e.g., "compliment" for "complement", "desert for dessert", "bought" for "brought", "advise" for "advice". Overall, however, this book is well-written and easy to read, and the (male) author does an incredible job of getting inside the minds of his female characters. He also has a wonderful poetic way with words, e.g., "The low red moon glows hypnotically, a burning fire in the quiet blackness."
I absolutely loved this book and look forward to more from this author.
Warnings: Coarse language. This book also covers several serious themes such as domestic abuse, self-loathing, drug and alcohol abuse, depression, self-harm, suicide, and incest.
I received this book for the purpose of providing an honest review.
The narrative jumps between Briar's past and present experiences and is interspersed with fragments of Briar's short story about the Last Man, whose lonely life parallels her own. As the story-telling becomes more fragmented toward the end of the book, we begin to wonder what is real and what is not. As Briar herself says, "Sometimes it's so very difficult to know what's the truth anymore."
There are some minor editing errors, especially the misuse of certain words, e.g., "compliment" for "complement", "desert for dessert", "bought" for "brought", "advise" for "advice". Overall, however, this book is well-written and easy to read, and the (male) author does an incredible job of getting inside the minds of his female characters. He also has a wonderful poetic way with words, e.g., "The low red moon glows hypnotically, a burning fire in the quiet blackness."
I absolutely loved this book and look forward to more from this author.
Warnings: Coarse language. This book also covers several serious themes such as domestic abuse, self-loathing, drug and alcohol abuse, depression, self-harm, suicide, and incest.
I received this book for the purpose of providing an honest review.
November 2, 2013
this book is brilliant and i really loved it, cant wait to finally get the paperback and dive into the story again holding the real thing :) if youre sick of 50 shades and other shit books taking up space in bookstores or if you have read all the classics already (perhaps taking a short break now?), exit is the perfect choice and i highly recommend it. especially if you enjoy story in story kind of books with random lyrics or a poems as well, if you can see and feel deep and dark things and if youre a little bit (or more) crazy. so yeah.. go ahead and read it!
p.s. is it clear now that the first rating doesnt come from the author?
p.s. is it clear now that the first rating doesnt come from the author?
September 6, 2014
I found this book very interesting, and I learnt a lot about agoraphobia. The ending is a little dark, yet hopeful. I especially loved the book cover.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews