You all know that I LOVE a good murder mystery, right? Well, I just read one that sucked me in and hurtled me on a rollercoaster ride of emotions. I’m so glad, though, that authors are writing about people who are struggling with mental health. This one was extreme, but maybe someone will read it and relate.

Oblivion by Sasha Dawn

I KILLED HIM I KILLED HIM I KILLED HIM

These were the words written all over the walls where Callie was found. Thirty-six hours had passed since her father, Reverend Palmer of the Church of Holy Promise, disappeared with Hannah. She was just a kid, and no one knew what happened to either of them, not even Callie for whom the last 36 hours were a complete blank. The only thing she knows for sure is that Palmer is an evil man, and Hannah is in danger. Her only link to that lost time are the words that her mind forces her to write. She has graphomania, a disorder where Callie compulsively writes, and if she doesn’t, she gets physically ill. Her writings often don’t make sense because they are fragments of memories lost in the fog of her traumatized mind. To complicate things further, there are two boys in her life; one has been her rock since they were in foster care together, and the other awakens the lost part of her. Can she find her way through the fog in time to save Hannah and herself, or is she forever chained to pen and paper?

This is a book full of suspense, drama, and mystery. Sasha Dawn strikes a perfect balance between the three that keeps you turning the pages with almost the same urgency as Callie feels when she needs to write. Trigger warning, though…this is about sexual assault and child abuse. Though not directly detailed, the mere suggestion is often enough to possibly set someone off.