Still Missing by Chevy Stevens

On the day she was abducted, Annie O’Sullivan, a thirty-two-year-old realtor, had three goals—sell a house, forget about a recent argument with her mother, and be on time for dinner with her ever-patient boyfriend. The open house is slow, but when her last visitor pulls up in a van as she’s about to leave, Annie thinks it just might be her lucky day after all.

Interwoven with the story of the year Annie spent captive in a remote mountain cabin—which unfolds through sessions with her psychiatrist—is the second narrative recounting the nightmare that follows her escape: her struggle to piece her shattered life back together, the ongoing police investigation into the identity of her captor, and the disturbing sense that things are far from over.

At first I thought this would be a weak version of Room by Emma Donoghue but I was very wrong.  While it had a comparable base subject it was approached in a very different way.  Each chapter was a session with Annie's Therapist told in Annie's voice.  There is a mixture of her recounting her past experiences in captivity along with her current experiences on the outside.  Told in a very matter of fact way, this suited my style as I don't like anything too soppy and emotional.  This did not take away from the shock and impact of the story, I inhaled deeply at many points and was quite overcome with sorrow at one particular point, I could almost feel her pain (not putting a spoiler but you will know the part I mean when you read the book).

I did begin to wonder how the author was going to end the book and was worried that it would be a weak or happily ever after ending.  I was pleasantly surprised by the twist in the Whodunnit ending.  My only, nitpicking criticism, is that it all happened rather quickly in the end and I felt she could have expanded on some details for about two more chapters just to make the ending more believable.  

With that aside, her last line of the novel was perfect!   Looking forward to reading more by this author, although there was a sneak peak at her next novel at the end of this one and it seems to be written in exactly the same style with each chapter being a therapy session.  It will take a very strong story for this similarity not to annoy me in future novels.