I want to say a special thank you to Managing Editor Soraya Nair of Trigger Publishing for sending me an advanced copy of The Packing House by G. Donald Cribbs for review.
About the Author
G. Donald Cribbs has written and published poetry and short stories since high school. Donald is a graduate of Messiah College in English and Education and has a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling.
He is also a licensed professional counselor (LPC). He and his wife and four boys reside in central Pennsylvania where the author is hard at work on his next book, tentatively titled, UNPACKING THE PAST, the sequel to his debut novel, THE PACKING HOUSE (2022), by Cherish Editions.
Having lived and traveled abroad in England, France, Belgium, Germany, China, and Thailand (you can guess where he lived and where he visited), the author loves languages and how they connect us all. Coffee and Nutella are a close second.
Blurb
When 16-year-old Joel Scrivener has a raging nightmare in study hall and someone records it on their phone, he awakens to a living nightmare where everyone knows his secret, one that he’s suppressed for ten years. Reeling as the whole school finds out the truth, Joel takes to the woods, leaving the bullies and his broken home behind.
However, life as a runaway isn’t easy, as Joel’s hallucinations and nightmares follow him into the wilderness. To stop them once and for all, he pieces clues together with flashes of the images that play endlessly inside his head—will he figure out the identity of the person who caused his nightmare before it’s too late?
My Thoughts
“It has been said, “Time heals all wounds.” I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue and the pain lessens. But it is never gone.
—Rose Kennedy”
Excerpt From
The Packing House
I have to agree with Rose Kennedy, time doesn’t heal all wounds. My upbringing involved growing up in a domestic violence household with an alcoholic step-father, I was abused by both parents, and became a became drug addict as a teen. The trauma of abuse especially sexual abuse stays with you. You push it to the back and move on. Move on is a relative term and certainly applies here.
Repressed memories are traumatic and please seek therapy right away if you are dealing with repressed memories. You will need some guidance.
What is your worst nightmare? For Joel Scrivener, it comes to life right in the middle of class with a room full of students. He fell asleep and during that time had a nightmare that was a repressed memory. Some even took their phones out to film him in the nightmare screaming for someone to get off of him! Now everyone knows.
This is a story about survival, luck, and good endings.
G. Donald Cribbs is a great storyteller, he keeps it moving and yet fills in all the blanks. The Packing House is a very fast read and keeps you eager to turn the next page.
I would recommend this book to anyone but to all parents of teens for sure
Trigger Publishing
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We have built a first-class resource of curated books produced and published in-house to create a unique collection of mental health recovery titles unrivaled in quality and selection. We work with experts, psychologists, doctors, and coaches to produce our books, but we also work with real people looking to share their stories to reach out to others and provide hope, understanding, and compassion. These brave authors also aim to raise awareness of mental health’s “human” face and its impact on everyday lives.
Melinda
lookingforthelight.blog 
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