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3.5 

Post-traumatic

By Chantal V. Johnson
Post-traumatic by Chantal V. Johnson digital book - Fable

Publisher Description

In this “deeply original” (Elif Batuman) and “violently funny” (Myriam Gurba) story, a young lawyer finally confronts her dark past so she can live in a more peaceful future.

To the outside observer, Vivian is a success story—a dedicated lawyer who advocates for mentally ill patients at a New York City psychiatric hospital. Privately, Vivian contends with the memories and aftereffects of her bad childhood—compounded by the everyday stresses of being a Black Latinx woman in America. She lives in a constant state of hypervigilant awareness that makes even a simple subway ride into a heart-pounding drama.

For years, Vivian has self-medicated with a mix of dating, dieting, dark humor and smoking weed with her BFF, Jane. But after a family reunion prompts Vivian to take a bold step, she finds herself alone in new and terrifying ways, without even Jane to confide in, and she starts to unravel. Will she find a way to repair what matters most to her?

A debut from a stunning talent, Post-traumatic is a new kind of survivor narrative, featuring a complex heroine who is blazingly, indelibly alive. With razor-sharp prose and mordant wit, Chantal V. Johnson performs an extraordinary feat, delivering a psychologically astute story about the aftermath of trauma that somehow manages to brim with warmth, laughter, and hope.
 

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231 Reviews

3.5
Surprised Face with Open Mouth“This book was addictive. I couldn’t put it down. While I did not resonate with the main themes, I found the main character Vivian to be relatable as she encompassed all of the typical millennial characteristics, but to a severe degree which was both comical and sad. I found this story to be honest, immensely thought-provoking, and a necessary social piece which was chaotic, but reminiscent of a true neurotic 30-something trying to navigate her world.”
Believable charactersCharacters change and growMulti-layered charactersBeautifully writtenOriginal writingAddictiveUnpredictableDark settingComicalDark
Thinking Face“This was incredible. Messy, real, a slice of life that one would expect to be depressing (and at times it was), but surprisingly funny too. Chantal has such a witty and smart storytelling and way of writing, without being pretentious. She can balance and incredibly sad and shocking story and make you laugh too, she can make you like the most unlikeable character. Truly an incredible debut novel, like whattt.”
Multi-layered charactersBeautifully writtenFunny writingOriginal writingAddictiveFast-pacedDark settingDarkThought-provokingAbuse
Expressionless Face
Diverse charactersEasy to readComicalDarkAbuseRacismViolence

About Chantal V. Johnson

Chantal V. Johnson is a tenant lawyer and writer. A graduate of Stanford Law School and a 2018 Center for Fiction Emerging Writers Fellow, she lives in New York.

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