Title: Post-Traumatic*
Author: Chantal V. Johnson
Rating: 4.75 stars / 5 stars
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Favorite Quote: “The thing about writing is that you are faced with your entire life. Every subterranean fear, every overwhelming event, and all unspoken desires will come to a writer, unbidden, when she is finally alone with herself.” Johnson, Chantal V. Post-Traumatic. Little Brown & Company, 2022.
Review: Phew. This book, y’all. I’m going to be totally honest up front and tell you that this review is going to be part review, part personal journal entry. Because I’ve been going through it recently, and I’ve projected a lot onto this book. But also, wow. I cannot believe this is a debut because it was SO GOOD. Beware of the trigger warnings (see below), but as long as you can be safe reading this book, I cannot recommend it enough.
Post-Traumatic follows protagonist (and often antagonist) Vivian as she deals with work struggles, romantic struggles, mental health struggles, and the eventual estrangement from her family. Johnson so effectively captures the zeitgeist of the struggling twenty-something in modern day America, that it was hard not to project onto Vivian and her many neuroses.
So, let’s talk about what’s working. Can I just say all of it? As a lawyer who works with marginalized folks, Vivian’s work in the mental institution resonated with me in a way many books don’t. Johnson, a lawyer herself, clearly has witnessed the injustices so often perpetuated by our “justice” system. As a lawyer who is struggling with burnout because of the crushing weight of the system and its many injustices, seeing Vivian walk away (even if her walking away may have been a part of her impending breakdown), felt personal.
The character development in this book is also absolutely *chef’s kiss*. Vivian is not a likable character. She’s neurotic and mean spirited (at times), and so incredibly self-centered. But she’s also someone who is struggling so deeply and it manifests in toxic but understandable ways. Johnson captures this balance between wounded and outwardly toxic in such a real way.
About that Quote: This quote isn’t one of those that sums up the book in some magical way. But like I said - this review is part personal journal entry - and oof. I felt this in my bones. As an aspiring writer myself (yet another part of Vivian’s story I found intriguing), this quote spoke to my process and my feelings towards my own work.
TW for Post-Traumatic: CSA, Disordered Eating, Police Brutality, Forced Institutionalization, SA
Have you read Post-Traumatic? Share your thoughts below!
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