book Synopsis
Alice Buchner is an exceptionally smart girl and a brilliant student, but an introverted and awkward kid. At thirteen, Alice witnesses the brutal murder of her cherished older sister Marisa by a loved one. Alice is the only eyewitness to the murder, but the authorities are unable to use her testimony because it is tainted with rare traumatic hallucinations that occur during the crime.
Alice’s support system is a workaholic father and his few bewildered employees, a paranoid schizophrenic aunt, emotionally distant grandparents, and a guilt-ridden detective, who, suffering from his own loss, may have botched the case in the first place. Her despair hurts the few good friends she has while her new enemies become “monsters.”
The perpetrator never receives a just sentence, and Alice plummets into a world of alcoholism, drug abuse, and profound mental illness. Throughout her journey, Alice continues to search relentlessly, finding answers and hopeful retribution for a killer when justice has supposedly already been served.
The Wrong Grief is a character study that searches deep into the mind of an emotionally troubled and wounded young woman who must decide to either embrace her perpetual grief or surrender to a new and healthy triumph.
book trailer
Meet Andrea
Andrea Landy was born and raised in Syracuse, New York. She received her degree in psychology from Alfred University and also studied creative writing, French horn, and classical piano. Shortly after finishing college, Andrea worked extensively in mental health including vocational rehabilitation, chemical dependency, activity, and group therapies. She was a prolific traveler and has lived in both Europe and the United Kingdom for a time. She has written for newsletters for several different organizations and has also compiled a collection of poetry. Eager to see America, Andrea got her Commercial Driver’s License and spent two and a half years in an 18-wheeler exploring the lower forty-eight states and documenting her journeys. Andrea currently lives with her husband of over thirty years, a dog, two cats, and a parrot.
reader reviews
The book The Wrong Grief by Andrea Landy is a fictional account of how abuse of children can give them a skewed and illogical view of life. The author draws from her professional work experience while the protagonist is front and center, giving a unique view of the devastation of child abuse and the style is very readable and not an academic “tome.”
The reader can scream with frustration towards adults who could have stopped the abuse but didn’t, perhaps of obtuseness, denial, not wanting to “rock the boat” or ethnic/cultural acceptance. The reader can grasp how important a short conversation of encouragement and kindness can be. The process of the protagonist in dealing with her anger, depression and confusion can be a bit lengthy at times. The emotional portrayal is intense, one can cry with sadness or joy when the healing process is obtained: that is truly inspiring. This book is a must read for anyone curious and wishing to increase their awareness of the plague of child abuse. – Katie Wood, LaShay Nicole Marketing Solutions