Book Corner: A Review Of K. A. Plouffe’s Annie’s Odyssey
December 27, 2012Book Corner: A Review Of K. A. Plouffe's Annie's Odyssey
Nothing says it’s winter like a cozy, roaring fireplace, a warm cup of coffee, and lounging around in your favorite PJs with a good book to read. Even better if that good book is the kind of book you will want to read over and over again, just to soak in the mystical characters and magical adventures found on the spiritual pathway of trauma recovery. OH Magazine editor, Keith A. Plouffe, has written just such a book and believe me, Annie’s Odyssey takes you on a journey you won’t soon forget.
On the brink and just steps away from suicide after rape and betrayal shatters her pop star dreams, the novel’s main character, Annie, is reborn into a world of wizardry and wonder after a mysterious encounter finds her in the midst of a brutal transportation from modern city to medieval land. Dragons, princesses, an evil monarch, and a sorcerer you will meet, but this book is much more than its medieval plot. The characters all face personal challenges, trauma, and their own psychological journey. But it is Annie’s odyssey that brings her full circle and perhaps you too. Annie must face the terrible secret that haunts her or both worlds known to her may be lost to her forever.
Retired Air Force psychologist Steven J. Byrnes, Lt Col., writes, "Annie’s Odyssey is a superb story about how an adolescent girl adapts to a cruel world filled with malicious adults who seek to exploit the weak and defenseless. Like many who are traumatized by life experiences, Annie recovers by journeying through a process of personal discovery that brings healing and growth. She learns to overcome the haunting and dark memories of past experiences to find present day direction and meaning to life. The author brilliantly illustrates an essential component of trauma recovery–learning to incorporate traumatic experiences into a view of self and world rather than repress or avoid them. By doing so, the main character, Annie, is able to acknowledge the past, but is no longer pulled under by it. When a trauma survivor reaches this point in recovery, life begins to move forward, allowing room for meaning and purpose to once again be experienced. The author does a terrific job of describing this process through a rich description of characters who must overcome their own demons to be liberated from the psychological damage caused by those who abused them.”
Annie’s Odyssey takes us on a journey in which the victim becomes the victor and teaches us all that healthy, loving relationships can heal the most tragic of lives.
Annie’s Odyssey is available in paperback on Amazon. com, Barnesandnoble.com, Lauricpress.com, as well as on Kindle and Nook.