Nerve Damage

A Novel

De: Annakeara Stinson

Narrado por: Gail Shalan

A riotous revenge novel about a woman’s quest to escape her stalker ex-boyfriend—by stalking him herself.

"It’s impossible for a book so chilling, so uncanny, so urgent to also be this funny. Nerve Damage is a major debut.”
—Kaveh Akbar, New York Times bestselling author of Martyr!

Clarice’s breakup with P.T. began the usual way—she discovered he was cheating. Then came the constant texts, the nonstop emails from burner accounts, countless phone calls from dozens of different numbers. He showed up outside her apartment and her office. He sent her flowers and poems, and, perhaps most sinister of all, a link to the music video for Dido's “White Flag.” Relief arrived only when Clarice finally obtained a restraining order and one-way ticket from New York to L.A.

Just as the restraining order expires—and three years to the day since she left him—Clarice spots a man who looks suspiciously like P.T. at a nightclub. Could it be him? Her best friend thinks she’s imagining things. Her therapist wants her to focus on healing her inner child. Her mother is busy planning her wedding to her fourth husband. A psychic medium can reveal only that P.T.’s energy is too volatile to locate on the spiritual plane. As painful memories resurface, Clarice is convinced her ex has returned to ruin her life. But with scant evidence to prove it, she takes increasingly unhinged steps to uncover the truth, ultimately leading to a place where paranoia and reality begin to blur.

A profane and poignant debut novel, Nerve Damage is a different kind of survivor narrative, about how far one woman will go to wrest back control of her life in a world determined to send her spiraling.

N/a

very boring. very hard to listen to the end. No real story.... kept wait for the story to pick up.

IYK trauma YK

What a powerful stroll through the mind of someone who is triggered by a series of events that lead her spiraling down into a well of anxiety and fear of the “what ifs.” I could relate on so many levels and still admired her for seeking the truth despite how frightening the answers might be.

If you’ve never been traumatized or have never known how crippling anxiety can be, you may have a hard time understanding this story. If you have an open mind and open heart, you’ll appreciate the journey. Just a good, well-written, well-narrated exploration into self-healing.

Great narration

Great story, well performed. I was so tense listening, but in a good way. Can’t wait to read more of this author.

Whiny, hard to take

I think this one probably better in written form than audible book. The actor makes it way more annoying than it has to be. It's very breathless, whiny, self-pitying, extra vocal fry. It's really hard to spend time with this character. It's like spending 8 hours locked in a room with your neediest most depressed friend on her worse day complaining about all the things she could work on but won't. Only it's not your friend and you don't owe her anything.
Some of the observations could have been funny, in a snarky, wry sort of way. Some of the choices could have seemed bold. But the way it's read, it's just an overwhelming, unrelenting pity party.
I'm about 80% through. I've been waiting for her to do something about her situation, because it's a book. I know in real life, stalking and abuse victims don't become spunky survivors. Victims aren't always fun to be around. But in a book, I expect a little in the way of problem solving skills.
Granted, she doesn't get much support. Neither her therapist nor her best friend seem to believe her, in spite of all the evidence and known history. That's just weird. Seems contrived, because nothing is unexpected or unbelievable about this story. It's a super common, everyday ordinary story. But it fits the "world against me" narrative.