Heck yeah you can. Well, maybe?
Believe me, I don’t mean to make light of people who suffer PTSD. Anyone who has gone through any type of traumatic situation probably has it I know I do from several incidences that happened to me over the years.
Still, what about books? Yep, I’m pretty sure they can.
What brought this topic up for me was that I’d just finished reading a story that our Norns book club decided to read together. It popped up in one of my book tours on my blog and I thought it looked interesting. A prehistoric thriller about dinosaurs? What’s not to like?
Well, people being eaten alive in very graphic, horrifying detail. That’s what. 🤣😂 You can read my review of Cretaceous Canyon.
Don’t get me wrong. I’ve read a lot of graphic, gory books over the years, but this one really got to me. I think it’s our primal, innate fear of being eaten alive. I’m sure we’ve all had nightmares about being chased and torn apart by some HUGE monster. At least I have. Several times.
But my reaction got me thinking about other titles I’ve read that left a PTSD kinda effect on me And there’s only two other ones I can think of.
The first one that came to mind was my own book: It Lives in the Basement.
Since I used to do a lot of walking in the dark to catch my bus, this one freaked me out with the sewer grates alongside the curbs. I kept waiting for something to leap out at me. Thanks, Bob. *glaring at him through the veil.*
Then I read Iron Mike. Here’s my review.
This one is about first contact with aliens and some of them are nasty. Remember me talking about walking to the bus in the dark? Well, one of the aliens is called a Feeder, and you don’t want to step in it or you die a slow painful death. The thing is though, you can’t see it until you’ve already stepped in it. Walking across the parking lot was a real joy as I kept a wary eye out for an unseen Feeder. 🤣😂
Do you think a story can give you PTSD? If so, what ones have you read that left their mark on your psyche?
