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Quiet Fear.: The Autobiographical Novel by Cynthia J. Giachino is a raw look at the horrors and darkness that inhabit the human psyche and the cruelty it’s capable of.
By writing Quiet. Fear.: An Autobiographical Novel, it is the goal of Cynthia J. Giachino to open up the minds of readers to the harrowing reality of living a life hounded by PTSD. It is when one is empowered by the knowledge of these experiences that the traumatic outcomes can be worked through, things can begin to heal, and wounds can be mended.
Quiet. Fear. is a compelling and harrowing autobiographical novel that pulls readers into a haunting and terrifying journey that takes a raw and unadulterated look at how one can survive the outcomes of brutal and inhuman acts.
A Brief Look at the Quiet. Fear.
The protagonist of Quiet Fear, Lilly, had loving family members. They were close-knit and dependent on one another, which was quite common in rural America three decades ago. Neighbors were few with a healthy distance between one another. And a common saying was ‘what happens at home, stays at home.’
Reclusive, yes, but Lilly could see, feel, and smell the raw beauty of the rural Midwest. She felt one with Mother Nature. The rolling fields, with their plentiful crops and the sun’s rays that spread a warm glow over the land, made her stand tall breathing in its earthy scents. The lush thick woods offered a cool breeze and shade when the summer heat lingered too long. The river’s clear waters sparkled with a trillion stars upon its surface. Everything was suffused with a firm and unrelenting spirituality. Although it wasn’t a life that anyone could go aboard with, it was certainly a life worth considering, especially for Lilly and her family.
And for Lilly, Mother Nature was healing. It surrounded her with life that she could understand. However, there was another life Mother Nature was not a part of. And living in the rural wilderness was not helpful. Her past and present were like two sides of an unbridgeable gap. A crevice in the earth’s ground, where reality split in two. In the deep darkness was fear and anguish, while above, she found hope and love. Her world was torn between her past and her present, love and dread, and everything else in between. She lost her hold on life.
With every passing day, she thought living would become easier. The toddler years, childhood, a teenager, and then a young woman. It was at this age, after giving birth to a son, that it became obvious; the two halves of her life could no longer continue to coexist with one another. Not only she was in danger, now it was her son too. She found herself trapped in a horrific and terrible, and seemingly endless maze, trying to navigate her way through secrets and lies—secrets that posed great danger. Lies, that if the truth was told, would only bring shame and guilt.
Brewing in her heart was a desperate need, an urge to return to normalcy. To be better than those that took almost everything from her. To return to Mother Nature and all that was—but her quiet fear felt like a hand around her throat. She had lost her voice. She had lost her ‘self’. She had lost the truth, that only she knew existed in her family. How could she face her ‘sins?’
Could she persevere against the evil that lurked and dwelled inside her mind’s memories? Or was there enough fight left in her to be strong enough to overcome the perils of this never-ending battlefield?
Quiet. Fear. by Cynthia J. Giachino, is this story and so much more. It is true, based on the author’s six decades of life, living with long term trauma.
What the Author of the Book Says
Author Cynthia J. Giachino wrote Quiet. Fear. as a story to show her readers the realities of abuse in lieu of simply talking about what had occurred and, perhaps, relitigating some painful and horrific memories. Quiet. Fear. is her attempt to help society empathize more deeply with the flurry of emotions, the inner turmoil, and the changes that abuse induces in both children and adults. It is told in a story, about a loving middle class American family, with Lilly, the middle child of four, leading the way.
The premise of Quiet. Fear., is that no matter how much people would like to repress their deepest and darkest fears—they resurface, emerging out of the depths quietly when one may least expect it. Don’t wait for that to happen. Be prepared. Reaching out for help, as soon as possible, is vital for healing. Time can be your friend. Resiliency opens new healthier doors. Determination builds new roads to better relationships and re-paves the old.
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