BACK FROM HELL - ROOM & THIRTEEN

I happened to watch the film Room and start watching the BBC 3 drama series Thirteen on the same day and the similarity of the topic they dealt with inevitably struck me. Both stories tell of young women coming back from hell. The hell of being abducted and taken captives  by manipulating, devious bastards. 

In both stories the focus is on the psychological aspect of being back to an ordinary life, the stress and the distress of being unable to fit or cope any longer. In both cases viewers delve into the protagonists' traumatic homecoming learning how difficult it is to victims to go back to normality. Very little or nothing is actually revealed of the horrors of their respective periods of captivity as victims of sexual abuse so, don't expect a claustrophobic, haunting experience while watching, if you decide to. It could be much more an occasion to see our ordinary lives in a boundless world and in total control with different eyes. 

SPOTLIGHT ON ... "WHEN THE LOST ACT LOST" BY TERRI BLACKSTOCK

If I Run tells the story of protagonist Casey Cox. When her life becomes complicated, she resorts to lies - even crime - to survive.  

Casey Cox has had her fair share of struggles, but after her best friend is found dead, Casey's life is turned upside down. When her DNA is found all over the crime scene, she knows talking to the police is useless; they have failed her abysmally before. At the age of 12, Casey found her father dead, and while police ruled it a suicide, she knew it wasn't. She's carried that great sense of injustice into adulthood, mistrusting all authority figures. Casey knows she has to flee before she's arrested . . . or worse. The truth doesn't matter in her world anymore, and it certainly won't set her free.

 

War-weary veteran Dylan Roberts is hired to find Casey, but as experienced as he is at solving crimes, his personal problems can get in the way. PTSD forced Dylan from the Army, and adjusting to his new normal has not been easy. Dylan knows bringing Casey home could redeem both his life and career. Blackstock did extensive research into PTSD in preparation to write If I Run. "I was shocked to learn how many of our veterans are coming home from war with PTSD," she reveals. "If they don't get the help they need it can impact their relationships for the rest of their lives. There are treatments that are successful in helping them. It's a wound that is as deep as a physical wound, and it should be treated just as aggressively so they can live normal lives."