The Pit

by Chisto Healy

Based on a true story....Jim O'Malley's parents moved him to a rich suburban neighborhood for a better life,but what he found was...Hell.Torture.Abuse.What he found was...The Pit

Paperback

About the author

Chisto started writing as a child and it was always his biggest passion, though he is also a musician and artist. When he was forced to quarantine in March 2020 due to the pandemic, he decided to focus on his writing and write full-time and has since had 100 stories accepted to be published, many of which are already out there. He hopes this is only the beginning...

Reviews

[Paige Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

“We’re damaged but we don’t want to be so we don’t ever talk about it. We hide and pretend but really we just desperately want to be loved, to be okay.”

This book hit me in the gut with all the raw emotions and heartbreak. Jim goes through some absolutely HORRIFIC events throughout his childhood and keeps it secret as much as he can to prevent breaking his mother’s heart. Kids and adults can be brutally ruthless and it breaks my heart that these things can happen to children everyday. You never know what someone is going through, BE KIND.

Chisto did an amazing job writing this book. The Pit is a book that everyone should read and experience. Events like these can happen, anywhere and anytime. It’s important to be aware of your surroundings and use resources available to help if you or anyone else you know or see is experiencing any of these cruel and malicious events.

This book deserves so much more recognition in the book community. I encourage those who haven’t read this to do so.

[DA · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me a long long time to finish this book, I had to keep taking breaks from it. Not because it's a bad book, but because it made me so angry. It was heartbreaking. And violent. I have never had my emotions so effected by a book before.
A bleak and disturbing coming of age story, you won't finish without it leaving it's mark on you.

[River 🔪🩸 (horror.books.and.chill) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This sent me through a plethora of emotions; anger, sadness, turmoil, seething rage.

What made it more emotional was knowing it was based on a true story. THAT fact made it that more difficult to read.

This was my first book by Chisto despite owning a good majority of them. I’m not sad about the fact I chose this one as my first.

The kids in this book were downright evil and the adults? The adults were just abhorrent, to say the least. Reading about the things they let happen brought out a rage deep inside I never thought I could feel. I hoped and prayed that one these adults, any of them, would come to their senses and realize what they were doing but nope. They continued being evil, detestable people.

I cried for Jim and the things he went through. The strength he had to keep going and the way he found himself sticking up to the bullies, kids and adults alike, was something I’m not sure I could have done now, much less at that age.

Chisto writes a beautifully tragic, yet heartwarming story wrapped in one neat little box tied up with a bow. I loved seeing Jim come into himself after he left Cookstown, finding friends, love, and self acceptance.

If you want an emotional gut punch, and to feel more emotions than you knew you had, I highly recommend this book. 👌🏻

[Erica Summers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book makes me glad I don't have children. They can be so awful to each other. Sickens me to think this is based on true events. Another win for Chisto Healy.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in one sitting. Well I started it right before I got sick and had to start over, which again, I read in a matter of a day!! This is the third book I have read by Chisto. He never fails to impress me with his writing, the way he builds his characters and how you can visually see his story take place right before your eyes. I can relate to this book in so many ways and it was heart wrenching. He truly showed the side of things that aren't talked about enough, bullying. He wrote about things that everyone is scared to talk about...He wrote about things that happen every single day, and nothing is done. He brought so much with novel that I am really could just hug my own children and hug this author for such a tear jerking, unsettling read.

[Sea Caummisar · Rating 4 out of 5]

The summary warns of torture and abuse. Which it was, just not in the way I was expecting. This was more bullying and fist fighting, which is a form of torture, just not the type of torture I typically read. Bullying sucks. So there's that. And I know that when reading fiction, you have to suspend some of your beliefs to fit into a fictional world. I had a hard time processing that teachers and principals went along with every single student in a school bullying this kid and fighting this kid (because he was poor). The teachers encouraged it. Pretty much betted on it. In one scene, the kid had to walk past every student in the school as they kicked and hit him. The summary also says this is based on a true story. If so, the teachers should be in prison in real life.

[Michael Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fair warning, this is not a light read. But it is an evocative and powerful one. Chisto brings this story out, based on true events, fully swinging. The main character, Jim, has a violent and challenging childhood. And this book brings to light a number of issues that people aren’t often willing to talk about. We live in a society with childhood violence, and sometimes that violence isn’t always words and fists. The Pit does well to address it. It also does well to put you in the mind of a child, and the decisions they make given the situations they live through. A well-crafted story, it was hard to put down, and will definitely stick with me a long time.

[Ayralea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is brutal and holds nothing back, and yes, it’s very real.
I’ve been lucky to escape any serious bullying growing up but it didn’t lessen the impact this story had on me.

When Jim O’ Malley starts attending a new school after his parents move to a well off neighborhood, his hell and torture begins.

How kids can be so cruel is horrible. How adults can be the same is unthinkable.

This story was as hard to read as it was to put down, but it’s a tale that should reach a wide audience.

[Angel Medina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a tough read, but it was perhaps the best book Chisto has written. Why? Because it feels so damn really. I'm sure many people have been pushed to the brink of giving up. Imagine going to a school that condoned and encouraged violence. This is far worse than Fight Club. It's a cautionary tale that moving to a supposed better neighborhood isn't always the path to greener pastures.

It took me a bit to finish, but I'm glad I did.

[John The Crippledgimp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow this book was so gritty, gut wrenching, emotional, and tragic. But this was also a book about perseverance, believing in yourself, and loving yourself and not letting the circumstances or a bad situation dictate who you're going to be. This book is definitely a fucking powerful read and definitely deserves more attention. This was my first time reading Chisto Healy and its definitely not my last. I highly fuckin highly recommend this one

[C.A. Baynam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jim O'Malley's journey in this book is a powerful exploration of the human spirit amidst suburban bullying and torture. Chisto skill-fully weaves a tale of struggle, resilience, and the quest for a better life. The emotional depth and relatable characters make it a captivating read. A solid 5-star review for a book that left me reflecting on its impact long after the last page

[Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was blessed with an early copy of this book and all I can say is wow. So much raw emotion fill these pages. So much heartache and pain. This book touched me in the feels and it will stay with me for a long, long time. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Aaron Lebold · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book really evoked a lot of feelings from elementary school. Very well done.