What would you do if you just had to write? I know a ton of writers would love that. I mean, you would never have writers block and the words would just flow right out of you. But what if you couldn't control what you write? What if you had a disorder where you had to compulsively write no matter where you are and you feel as if you're going to die if you can't write? It sounds horrifying, but Callie in
Oblivion by Sasha Dawn has to deal with this disorder called graphomania.
Format: Hardcover/e-book
Pub. Date: May 27th, 2014
Summary:
Lisa McMann's Dead to You meets Kate Ellison's The Butterfly Clues in a psychological thriller full of romance, intrigue, and mystery.
One year ago, Callie was found in an abandoned apartment, scrawling words on the wall: "I KILLED HIM. His blood is on my hands. His heart is in my soul. I KILLED HIM." But she remembers nothing of that night or of the previous thirty-six hours. All she knows is that her father, the reverend at the Church of the Holy Promise, is missing, as is Hannah, a young girl from the parish. Their disappearances have to be connected and Callie knows that her father was not a righteous man.
Since that fateful night, she's been plagued by graphomania -- an unending and debilitating compulsion to write. The words that flow from Callie's mind and through her pen don't seem to make sense -- until now.
As the anniversary of Hannah's vanishing approaches, more words and memories bubble to the surface and a new guy in school might be the key to Callie putting together the puzzle. But digging up the secrets she's buried for so long might be her biggest mistake.
My rating: 4 out of 5 red pens!
My recommendation: Anyone who likes murder mysteries.
My review:
My copy was provided by Netgalley.
Calling Callie's family a little dysfunctional would definitely be considered an understatement. Callie's psychic mother is in an insane asylum for stabbing her husband in the thigh. Callie's pastor father is missing ever since he disappeared on the same day as another teenage girl in town which can hardly be considered a coincidence. And Callie suffers through graphomania, ever since she was found writing on walls, "I KILLED HIM." No one knows what happened that night involving Callie, her father, and Hannah, and Callie holds the clues to the mstery. The problem is that Callie can't remember that night.
The only way the memory comes out is through her writing that she can't control. Her thoughts are disjointed in random scribbles that don't make sense on the paper. But somewhere, deep inside Callie's mind, these words make sense.
If Callie is able to piece together all the pieces, she will finally learn if she killed her father and if her father killed Hannah.
This book was really interesting. I had never heard of graphomania before and it was really intriguing to learn more about this mental disorder that I didn't even know existed.
Callie was an interesting character. I couldn't connect with her much and she was a bit difficult to understand, especially with her writing. Her mind was fractured and I felt really sorry for her.
The graphomania made this book hard to understand at times, but that was the whole purpose. It kept you guessing the whole time what really happened to Callie and what each phrase meant. The writing that might have seemed meaningless to a cop or a psychiatrist actually held clues to the mystery. I really liked how these words could unlock the secret within Callie's mind, bit by bit until the puzzle was finally solved.
What I didn't like was how, once again, the cops and teachers didn't do anything. Everyone could clearly tell that Callie had an actual disorder and it caused much distress, but some students thought she was faking the attacks and was just doing it for attention. I don't think actual teenagers would think of that when they witnessed one of her attacks.
Also, when Callie decided to stop taking her medicine, even though her attacks were increasing, no one did anything. Her doctor didn't force her to take the pills and no one seemed to care, even when some of these attacks led to blackouts that Callie couldn't remember. The cops didn't seem to do a single thing in solving the murder and it was all up to a girl with a mental disorder.
The ending was definitely awesome and I liked how all the pieces tied together, like Callie's mother. It was a bit confusing, but it tied in the whole story.
The book was original, interesting, and I liked how the author vividly described Callie's disorder. I especially liked how the mystery was solved and how the ending made me have to think about it for a couple minutes until all the pieces seemed to fit into place.
