Hannahwhere

Not sure how I feel about this book. Star systems are too crude for me to rate to it here. I read it late into the night, so obviously I wanted to find out what happened. I didn't think it fit the horror genre. As a person who's worked with and adjacent to child protective services for many years, who also has chronic PTSD from child abuse and sexual abuse, I connected to the exploration of dissociation — and was intrigued by the extreme to which this book takes the experience. As a story, without that connection, the book may not have captured me. I did find the dialogue somewhat weak and the character reactions and actions, aside from the dissociative elements, a little less than realistic. So it was an interesting blend of gritty realism alongside a truly speculative plot. Worth reading, yes. Enjoyable? Not sure. Compelling hook with predictable ending? Yes. Regretted reading? Definitely not. Would recommend? I think so... The one thing that really bothered me (which isn't fair, I know) is that the book's main characters who suffered the trauma are all female, when the writer himself is male. I know, unfair, but it niggled at me, given the subject matter. The treatment of trauma is sensitive and appropriate, however. Ultimately, kudos to the author for being brave enough to write this book and put it out there, regardless of his gender.