Strange Piece of Paradise

A Return to the American West To Investigate My Attempted Murder - and Solve the Riddle of Myself

By: Terri Jentz

Narrated by: Margaret Colin

In the summer of 1977, Terri Jentz and her Yale roommate, Shayna Weiss, make a cross-country bike trip. They pitch a tent in the desert of central Oregon. As they are sleeping, a man in a pickup truck deliberately runs over the tent. He then attacks them with an ax. The horrific crime is reported in newspapers across the country. No one is ever arrested. Both women survive, but Shayna suffers from amnesia, while Terri is left alone with memories of the attack. Their friendship is shattered.

Fifteen years later, Terri returns to the small town where she was nearly murdered, on the first of many visits she will make "to solve the crime that would solve me." And she makes an extraordinary discovery: the violence of that night is as present for the community as it is for her. Slowly, her extensive interviews with the townspeople yield a terrifying revelation: many say they know who did it, and he is living freely in their midst. Terri then sets out to discover the truth about the crime and its aftermath, and to come to terms with the wounds that broke her life into a before and an after. Ultimately she finds herself face-to-face with the alleged axman.

Powerful, eloquent, and paced like the most riveting of thrillers, Strange Piece of Paradise is the electrifying account of Terri's investigation into the mystery of her near murder. A startling profile of a psychopath, a sweeping reflection on violence and the myth of American individualism, and a moving record of a brave inner journey from violence to hope, this searing, unforgettable work is certain to be one of the most talked about books of the year.

©2006 Terri Jentz; (P)2006 Audio Renaissance, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishers, LLC

Gruesome and captivating real life account

At 1st I was not in love with the narrators voice, but I grew to like it and accept her as the true story teller. This was a great book if you've been into podcasts like "Serial," or "Up and Vanished." Real life search for a man that ran over her with a truck and chopped her with a hatchet. Recommend.

beautifully written!

I wish she would write more! incredible story written so well! poetic! wonderful! I will definitely listen to the book more than once!

Great book, not so great narrator

Great introspective book by an amazingly strong woman. The narrator/ voice actor who reads it was very distracting. For some reason, she kept giving the people of these somewhat rural Oregon towns a weird sort of Southern accent.

Haunting and captivating

I am a big crime thriller enthusiast and this story captivated me. Not only does it take you on a journey as the author investigates her own attempted murder years before, but she describes the deep, complicated emotions she felt and continues to feel throughout the book which are haunting in and of themselves. Horrifying tale, told well. Narrator’s voice was unique and full of character. Recommend.

Great story marred by slow, corny narrator

The first-person protagonist is a Yale graduate from Chicago, but the Audible narrator uses a country drawl that sometimes lapses into southern. She over dramatizes every sentence and doesn't much distinguish between the protagonist's words and the other characters' dialogue. Audible, please think before you hire! Someone assigned this book without having read Chapter 1.