Book Review: The Sender by Tom Baum

I’m trying review books from different genre, and after reading The Sender, I’m not sure if I can keep up (in a good way, though).
What Is It About
The 21-year-old Jesse’s suicide attempt has brought him to a mental institution called Pineview Lodge. He has telepathic abilities and he’s having a hard time to control this, deliberately sharing his thoughts and dreams and visions to his fellow patients. But Dr. Josie Springman felt its effect the most, and as Jesse unwillingly shares her his visions, she discovers the shocking truth not only on Jesse’s past, but most importantly, hers.
What I think about it
In the beginning I thought I’m not going to like this book. The first part barely registered and for a moment I thought the main character was a 21-year-old drug addict, the way his thoughts were being narrated. But I am not a quitter (lol) and so I gave it a shot. Best decision in my life.
It’s the first time I’ve read about hallucinations that are so vivid it could alter someone else’s reality. That’s what happened when Josie connected with Jesse. Although I wasn’t sure if it’s just that, or maybe Josie was also a great telepathic recipient. I want to believe that this is a fact – something that is based on scientific evidences (I remember Hazel Ann Lancaster’s lung disorder in The Fault in Our Stars was just the author’s imagination). It’ll honestly break my heart if it’s all made up because there’s lots of medical terms used in the book and they all made it appear more real.
Jesse’s hallucinations and visions are so powerful that the people around him could sense if he was angry, or sad, or upset. What’s more, his visions had led Josie to confront something from her past that she didn’t give a damn before. As she discovered what truly happened back when his father was killed in a car crash, she realized she never grieved about that, nor over her mom’s death a year after, the way she should.
I’ve seen lots of tv dramas (kdrama, to be specific) where professionals tend to put their hearts in their professional responsibilities. I think this is some kind of a work ethic, something that would allow you to do your best in whatever you do. A lot of times though, it could lead you in a sticky mess in the end. That’s what happened to Josie in this book. She was too attached in Jesse’s case that it ultimately put her and her job in jeopardy. One thing more, I just don’t like the way Dr. Yost use his power over Josie to make her spend time with him – he likes her in an indecent manner, duh!
The Sender is such a brain-whacking book that made me question everyone’s reality, even my own! 😂 Kidding aside, I recommend you to read this book if you liked Stephen King’s Carrie.
The Sender is available in Amazon for $2.99, if in case you want to 1-click.
Spread the looooove!
xoxo,
Beth G. â™¥

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