Play Book Tag discussion

This thriller is narrated by Annie O'Sullivan, a moderately successful real estate agent, who is describing her abduction and year long captivity to her psychiatrist. She tells her therapist what transpired over the course of her kidnapping and eventual escape. Her kidnapper, referred to as “The Freak” throughout the book, subjects her to an abusive set of rules, including nightly rapes, how often she can go to the bathroom, and what time she can eat.

We know from the beginning of the novel that Annie escapes, but I was very interested in how she finally found her way out. The facts surrounding that, as well as how she was even abducted in the first place, made for a fascinating story. In this respect I couldn't put the book down. The author made Annie both sympathetic and bitterly unpleasant. I thought that worked in this particular case because I can't imagine going through what Annie did and not being resentful and angry afterwards.

While I thought this was a very mesmerizing story I can't recommend it to everyone. The rape scenes and scenes involving the butchering of animals were extremely difficult for me to get through. In fact, I specifically returned the audiobook and checked out the ebook so I could skim over some of those details. Nevertheless, I couldn't put the book down. It's a very impressive debut novel and I have continued to be a fan of this author.

I was surprised by how much I liked this. But I really enjoy a good psychological thriller. You're right, though. There are scenes that are make one very uncomfortable (as they should).