Iodine

By: Haven Kimmel

Narrated by: Haven Kimmel

Brilliant, unconventional college senior Trace Pennington has eked out an impoverished, solitary, but highly functional existence in the years since she ran away from her abusive home. But when Trace finds love with a much older man, her life is upended and she's forced to face herself and her past.

After recovering a horrific, long-suppressed memory, she discovers that much of her present-day life is a carefully constructed delusion. With equal parts genius and psychosis, Trace copes with the fallout from a brutal, bizarre childhood in a heart-stopping story that explores both the terror and wonder of mental illness.

©2008 Haven Kimmel (P)2008 BBC Audiobooks America

Critic reviews

"Kimmel skillfully weaves together Trace's lucid moments and her diminishing sanity, providing a full picture of a troubled woman whose identity, past and present are repeatedly called into question." ( Publishers Weekly)

What’s Real?

I’m a Haven Kimmel fan. To me, her characters often carry an oddness that, when one thinks about it much, is not that different than many of our own family members. This book is different. Told through a person who may be schizophrenic or disassociated one doesn’t really know who is sympathetic and caring or who is dangerous. I ended up getting the sense that no one was truly dangerous. The narrative is so well put together in its disjointedness that it makes sense and doesn’t. Kimmel is a master of possibilities here. It isn’t an easy read, but it will grab the reader.

Wonderful, complex read

This is a very compelling, complex, and interesting read. The point of view switch from 1st to 3rd to deliniate from Trace's narration and the narrator was brilliant, and the author's references to archetypal criticism compells me to go back and reread Jung and Hillman. I thoroughly enjoyed the writer's self narration. This book haunted me while listening as much as the protagonist's past haunts her.

Not so Zippy

I love Haven Kimmel's writing and was excited to find one of her books that had escaped me. While the book was entertaining, I found the story hard to follow. At its conclusion many things came together, but it wasn't her typical style.

Don't judge Ms. Kimmel solely on this book as her others are far better!

the work of a genius

Haven Kimmel is a literary genius and this novel may not be fully understood in one reading, or listening. But attempting to do so is infinitely rewarding and exciting.

Not as good as her others

Didn't love this at all. Have thoroughly enjoyed 3 other books by Haven Kimmel but just couldn't get into this one.