Friday, January 16, 2009

Black Out by Lisa Unger

I have read a lot of reviews for Ms. Unger's books on several different blogs so last time I was at the library and saw one, I decided to pick up Black Out and give it a try. It was a perfect fit for the Suspense and Thriller Challenge under the category of psychological suspense. Black Out was different from anything else I have ever read and I give it a B+.

From Amazon:
When my mother named me Ophelia, she thought she was being literary. She didn’t realize she was being tragic.On the surface, Annie Powers’s life in a wealthy Floridian suburb is happy and idyllic. Her husband, Gray, loves her fiercely; together, they dote on their beautiful young daughter, Victory. But the bubble surrounding Annie is pricked when she senses that the demons of her past have resurfaced and, to her horror, are now creeping up on her. These are demons she can’t fully recall because of a highly dissociative state that allowed her to forget the tragic and violent episodes of her earlier life as Ophelia March and to start over, under the loving and protective eye of Gray, as Annie Powers. Disturbing events—the appearance of a familiar dark figure on the beach, the mysterious murder of her psychologist—trigger strange and confusing memories for Annie, who realizes she has to quickly piece them together before her past comes to claim her future and her daughter.

The story was told from many different times, including the past from 10 years ago to a couple of weeks ago, along with the present. The reader learns what happens through Annie's dreams and memories and is thrown into the suspense and mystery of what exactly is going on in her life. There were times when my head was spinning-in a good way- trying to figure out what exactly was going on and who Annie could trust. I read this book a bit slower than usual because there was a lot to keep track of. I will admit that the ending left me a bit disappointed and with some questions not answered, but overall I really enjoyed this book. I will be reading more of Ms. Unger's books in the future.

Up next is another suspense book that I have read a lot about on other blogs, In the Woods by Tana French. It is set in Ireland and I have to admit that I normally don't read books set in other countries, though I am not sure why. I think part of it is because I like to be able to picture things as I am reading and tie it in to my own experiences. I am going to give it a try, but I just picked up some more books from the library and thrift store so if I can't get into it, I will pick something else up. School as been canceled the past two days because of the cold temperatures, but I have been busy working my other jobs. I have to work four hours tonight and seven tomorrow, so I am not sure how much reading I will be getting in but I plan on sneaking some in here and there. Happy Reading!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

BLACK OUT was my third Unger book. She is one of my favorite authors. I've been so busy that I haven't had time to see what's up next as far as upcoming novels.

If you ever decide to read them, her two previous to this should be in order and back to back. Those two are what won her a spot in my heart forever!

Literary Feline said...

I haven't yet read anything by Lisa Unger, but I do have a couple of her books in my TBR collection to try. I am so glad you enjoyed this one! It sounds like a good one.

Kristie said...

I think I am going to get them from the library. I picked up a couple more yesterday, so probably on my next visit. Thanks for the heads up on what order to read them!

Literary: I know... I have so many books to read and so little time, but that doesn't stop me from adding more to the pile!

Ladytink_534 said...

I don't think I've read anything by her before but I have heard good things about this book!

Heidi said...

Sounds good. I have never read any books by her but I did add her to the list of authors to try.

I hope you enjoyed your snow/cold weather days. I hope it warms up soon for both of us. I am tired of freezing.

Kristie said...

Well it finally warmed up a bit... to about 15 degrees, but we also got about 6 inches of snow. Not too sure if that is a good trade off or not...