Vivian Long has suffered from agoraphobia and panic attacks for most of her life. She survived a childhood abduction and as a teenager, a sexual assault. But the echoes of the trauma fester for years, slowly decaying Vivian's essence and finally erupt one afternoon when she and her daughter, Faith, are on a routine errand. Vivian's panic impels her to speed through a red traffic light in a desperate attempt to get home, and they are nearly hit by an oncoming truck.
With the help of a new psychiatrist, Dr. Wallace Buhari, Vivian is introduced to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and is able to overcome many challenges, finally becoming free of a lifetime of paralyzing fear. As a reward for completing the therapy, Vivian and her husband, Carl, plan a canoe and camping trip in a remote part of northern Michigan.
Rowing down a picturesque river with the man she loves and experiencing nature and serenity lifts Vivian to a new level of accomplishment and joy--until tragedy strikes. In a matter of seconds, Vivian's world is shattered and plunges her into the middle of her worst nightmare. Can she survive? And if so, will she wish she hadn't?
I'm a recently retired Emergency Physician and worked in the field for over thirty years. I loved my career and now have the time to develop my experiences into dramatic plots. I stifled my creativity (I wanted to become an actress) to learn all of the science necessary to become a doctor. Writing has reawakened that part of me.
I live in Michigan, am married and have two grown sons.
In addition to reading and writing, I love to cycle, hike, travel, play pickleball and eat chocolate!
Thank you to GoodReads and PJ Nakfoor for providing me with a free giveaway!
This story was intense, filled with horrifying and heart wrenching scenarios that really twist the heart and make you feel for the main character Vivian.
Vivian has been through her fair share of trauma. So much trauma, in fact, that she has completely shut herself down and hidden away from the world. When an impromptu outing goes horribly wrong and almost causes a horrible accident, she knows she needs to get help fast.
Working with the help of a professional, she begins to take the steps needed to overcome her fear of the world. It's not a total cakewalk and Vivian goes through some decent hurdles along the way.
The storyline itself is fast paced, intense, and emotionally demanding. As a self published author, Nakfoor needed a little depth to the communication between characters, a little more setup for transitions between scenes, and a little more heart wrenching during the more heartbreaking events.
All in all, a great story with a little room for fine tuning.
This was a solid read. I didn’t want to put it down and I will probably think of parts of it for a while, but I really didn’t like the narration. It sounded like a biography which is fine, but I just wanted a little bit more emotion behind the read, I suppose. Overall, I’m glad I picked this up and I will probably read more from this author in the future!
The story of a woman plagued with PTSD, having been the victim of an attempted abduction as a young child, in addition to having had just about every other traumatic event you can think of occurring to her. Hate to throw in too much of a spoiler, but by the time we get to the bear attack AND the rattlesnake, I was done. You name it, it happened to her. Good news, though. By the end of the book, she has no more panic attacks BECAUSE THERE'S NOTHING LEFT THAT CAN HAPPEN TO HER!
I am going to start off by saying I didn't really enjoy this book (then why would I give it 4 stars you ask) well that's because I think the problem was me. This book in general was amazingly done with great characters, life difficulties, and healing. To me, this book was a fiction self-help book. This book talks mainly about mental health and conquering it through your life.
The reason I didn't like this book is that it was so.....bland. Vivi's life was bland, her marriage, pretty much everything about her was. Vivi's character also really angered me because to me she seemed selfish, boring, stubborn, and unwilling to get better. I also feel this way most likely because I don't struggle with mental health issues.
This book would be great for someone who has their own mental health struggles and needs a fictional life to relate to. There really isn't much thrill or suspense as the summary says but it did hold my attention about 95% of the time.
Overall - this is not a suspense/thriller genre - more like a fictional self-help book. It was a pretty quick read of 350 pages so just give it a try if you are intrigued!
A relatable story of a main character overcoming life's obstacles with the help of family and health professionals! You can feel the stress of the main character in many circumstances in the story and your heart beats a lot quicker on the camping trip that changes the main characters future. A hard book to stop reading and keeps the reader turning the pages faster and faster!
I received this kindle copy as a promotion for my honest review. I really enjoyed this book and discovering how each fear would affect Vivi and the effects it brought to her life.
Great read with several plot twists and turns. Everyone with a bit of anxiety can relate to the main character and emphasize with her rough life and perseverance.
I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway.
A solid 3 Stars. I know it's fiction, but someone with that severe of a form of agoraphobia is not going to be able to progress that fast through therapy. Otherwise, very engaging.