Black Out

A Novel

By: Lisa Unger

Narrated by: Ann Marie Lee

"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' 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.

©2008 Lisa Unger (P)2008 Books on Tape

Critic reviews

"Twisty, riveting, and enormously exciting. Lisa Unger is a powerful and elegant writer, and Black Out is her best novel yet." (Joseph Finder)

"I read Black Out in one hungry gulp, and spent the rest of the night trying to calm my jangled nerves. This is a stunning, mind-bending shocker with moments of sheer terror - one of the best thrillers I've read this year!" (Tess Gerritsen)

"Black Out is riveting psychological suspense of the first order. If you haven't yet experienced Lisa Unger, what are you waiting for?" (Harlan Coben)

thrill seeker

I just really enjoy the way Lisa Unger writes. She's so descriptive of her characters and she pulled me right into this book within the first chapter. I hope she pushes out another novel soon.

What Really Happened???

This story is really quite hard to figure out. With our main character seemingly having psychotic breaks and imagining a great deal of what's happening, we don't really know what's real and what's not. Did she kill Marlow or not? Did Ray Harrison exist or not? Did someone kill Dr. Brown or not? Dude, I don't know what really happened in this book or how or when, or anything, lol! I'm above average on the intelligence scale but I still couldn't figure out what the hell was going on half the time. It's all good though; I definitely can't say that the story was boring! 😉

Not for me.

I drowned in the details, struggled to finish then it left me feeling unhappy or unsatisfied.

Surprisingly Good

I have never listened to Lisa Unger before. Never even heard of her. I bought this book because it sounded interesting and I am a fan of the narrator. I'm one of those people that like to be reeled in with the first chapter. No playing around for me. So after the first chapters of this book I was kicking myself and feeling a great sense of loss over a credit. I shut it off, not once but three times. It was slow. It was boring. It was everything I didn't want. After a week I decided to give it another try because I hadn't time to download a new one. I stuck with it and I am glad I did.
It isn't an obvious ..'Here it is' plot.. it is slowly being blended around the main character, Annie, and everyone else around her. Her background and the lives that have and still were shaping hers. I don't want to say alot. It is a story better off listened to because after awhile there are things being dropped as clues here and there. You feel sympathy for her and start getting frustrated for her. There were one or 2 places that I wish Lisa had made more elaborate but I did like the part where she found strength protecting her daughter .
This book is a good experience, even if the first few chapters are not ( for me anyway). I will definately listen to another Unger book. I don't think you will be disappointed with this one. Ann Marie Lee gave good narration. I don't understand the reviews that have negative things to say about her because I have heard way worse in some very popular novels to where I didn't turn it back on. Was well worth giving it a 4th try.

Loved loved loved this book

So intriguing loved it
Narrator was excellent I cannot wait to read more of Lisa's work

Closing the door to the past

Ophelia was a damaged young woman manipulated by evil men. Her mother found religion and the ability to forgive a man who was a convicted rapist. Her mothers convinced he’s innocent. When he gets out she wants to marry him. In the meantime, Frank sends his son Marlowe to live with them. Ophelia connects instantly with Marlowe. He becomes her lifeline fearing the life her mother built with Frank, He offers her the attention that her mother neglected to give her.
It’s been ten years since Ophelia left her life behind. Ophelia is the past, Annie Powers is the present. In order to move forward and protect her daughter Victory Annie must face her past.
Annie is not alone in her plans to confront her past. Her husband Gray has been extremely supportive. A slew of other characters are brought into the story to aid in this plan to expose the past.

Since Annie buried Ophelia in the past she had to resurrect long forgotten memories of the things that had been done to her. Ophelia’s past is Annie’s sickness. With the help of a therapist Annie learns to face her fears. As long as the door to the past remains open memories of Marlowe will continue to haunt her.

I’ve been working my way thru Lisa Unger’s backlist or previously released books. My first read was Confessions on the 7:45. Blackout is a Character driven psychological thriller. A dark thriller with shocking and stunning twists. Each of Lisa Unger’s books offers readers something dark and twisted.

Narrator:
Ann Marie Lee was the solo female performer. I listened using the audiobook app. This is the type of story best received in audiobook format. The narrator brought these characters and story to life. This was an unabridged version ideal for following along with the ebook. Ann has a pleasant sounding voice. I enjoyed her performance. Although, I needed the assistance of the ebook to stay connected with the audio performance. I have a short attention span therefore listening to an audiobook takes great amount of attention and for me that requires following along with the written ebook. However, I didn’t download the ebook only the audiobook. I had the disadvantage of trying to stay connected when I couldn’t direct my attention to the book in front of me. While I’ll always purchase audiobooks I now know I can’t rely on listening only. My auditory skills are limited. Another downfall of my listening routine is limiting it to 1 hour per day. Not a good idea when trying to remember multiple characters.

Oustanding!

If you are into psychological thrillers you will really dig your heals into this one! There are not a lot of books that come by with such great and unpredictable story lines!

Psychological warefare

What made the experience of listening to Black Out the most enjoyable?

The narrator and the intricate story line

What was one of the most memorable moments of Black Out?

When Victory asks to not play those games anymore with her grandmother.

Which character – as performed by Ann Marie Lee – was your favorite?

Annie/Ophelia

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Not extreme, but it made me feel sorry for Annie/Ophelia because of the card life played her. I also felt sorry for Marlow. His path in life could have been different had he been parented by another set of adults.

Annie, quit your whining

The lead character, Annie... about drove me nuts with her whining. As a victim of violence myself, I understand the trauma and psychological ramifications... but this character was a little "over the top" for me... by the end, I had a difficult time identifying with her...

Twists and Turns

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. Lisa Unger provides a novel full of unexpected twists and turns. I would rather that it not be in the first person because she writes about events she did not witness.

Which character – as performed by Ann Marie Lee – was your favorite?

Gray and Victory

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When she was emotionally shattered and no one believed in her.