ANNA by Sammy H.K. Smith

A futuristic, dystopian novel of the failure of society as we know it today. Women and others are routinely captured and kept as slaves, branded, and abused for the sadistic pleasure of their owners.

Anna has managed to survive in the broken world by following strict guidelines, never trusting anyone, and staying to herself. Her world changes when she is captured by Will. He is a psychopath who wants to control her every movement. Very hard to adjust, when you are used to being on your own.

Trigger warnings: Rape and abuse.

This is not a romantic novel. This is a novel about survival.

Highly recommend.

Many thanks to #netgalley for the complimentary copy of #anna I was under no obligation to post a review.

The premise of this book is fantastic, and appealed to me immediately. Dystopia, mixed in with a kidnap and Anna's escape from her captor all sounded like it would make for a really intense, exciting story.

One thing I appreciated about this story was that there seemed to be some decent diversity amongst characters. It could also be better, but this was a good start.

I also really enjoyed the exploration of the issues around rebuilding a society. The debate about how best to punish crime fairly was really interesting, and to me seemed like a realistic portrayal of what would really happen in this situation.

On to the things I didn't like as much. My main gripe is probably the lack of explanation of what exactly led to this dystopian world - there are a few mentions of global war, political unrest and so on, but not enough for my liking. At one point, our narrator alludes to '"the first wave". I had no idea what this was referring to and it wasn't explained further, which was frustrating.

I found the dialogue to be quite stilted, possibly due to the lack of punctuation. The characters generally were a bit two dimensional, and I can't say I really liked or cared about them all that much.

A couple of things that irked me - Anna was embarrassed about her period. Was this really necessary? Secondly, Anna says she understood why her husband slapped her. Nope. We don't need excuses for domestic violence.

Anna also seems to get very freaked out by murder/death. After two years surviving in the Unlands, surely she would be a little more immune to it? Surely she has seen plenty of murder and other awful things? There is an emphasis on her being a 'survivor', and yet she thinks in Part 1 that she should have died rather than the men trying to get her because it's 'her fault'. I think a character who had experience all that Anna had would be a little more brutal than that.

In general, there was a lack of build up for me. Anna was captured very quickly at the start, so I didn't feel all that invested in her escape, as I didn't get to see her surviving alone. Part 1 in general felt quite rushed. I don't think there was enough tension - I think a slow burn would have been great in Part 1, with Anna slowly luring her captor in to a false sense of security.

Again, in Part 2, we had no explanation of how Anna/Kate comes to the new town. Personally, I would have enjoyed seeing Anna/Kate trying to survive and navigate the Unlands a little bit more, as that sounded like it would have made a great story.

Part 3 felt slow. I found myself skipping large bits, although it was interesting to see the bond between Deven and Anna/Kate develop due to their shared trauma. More of this would have been great.

And finally, the ending. Of course, it was great to see Anna/Kate finally exact her revenge, but by this point I had basically lost interest. It was so very drawn out, with Anna/Kate leading him through the woods for an age for no apparent reason. Plus, the unnecessary cliffhanger didn't make sense to me, and left me feeling very frustrated again.

I really enjoyed the premise of this novel, and there were some good elements, but in general I feel a little let down as it could have been so good.

Anna is a poetic and gritty journey into a dystopian nightmare.

In the first section of the book Anna is captured and becomes the hostage/slave/victim of a man who claims to love her and want to take care of her. Honestly, although the writing was beautiful, I really struggled with this section. As a really sensitive person, I just felt exhausted by the complete wearing down (TW rape, torture, emotional and physical abuse) of Anna, with very few moments of respite and lightness.

The dark started to lift though in the second section, when Anna escapes with her unborn child and becomes a part of a new community. This part felt much more human to me and I loved some of the female and inter-generational friendships, as well as seeing Anna start to work through her PTSD. I really enjoyed the book from this point on and was kept hooked by the promise of seeing Anna flex to fight her demons and protect herself and her child.

I agree with other reviewers that it would be fantastic to see a sequel as I definitely felt there was more to Anna's story!

Thank you Netgalley, Rebellion and the author for a digital ARC of this book!!

This was too painful a read for me, and I actually did not finish it. I think it had flashes of a compelling narrative voice, and if it had been a shorter novel I would probably have thought it fantastic, but I just did not have the stamina to continue. I also think there's something valuable in choosing this grim, grinding format for a grim and grinding story, but it certainly will not connect with every reader. Those who do connect with it, however, will probably love it.

My thanks to Rebellion and NetGalley for the ARC.

This was initially a difficult read... The content dark, heavy, traumatic and deeply upsetting. I was at the point of maybe not continuing the book when part one ended and part two began, with a change of pace and environment. I found then I wanted to read on, to see if there could be some resolution, happiness, peace?
The book is extremely well written, and the difficult subjects aren't shied away from. I would have liked to know more about the fall of the world as we know it, and how the world came to be in this bleak, dystopian future, but the vagueness around that doesn't detract from the impact of Anna's story.

Let me just start by saying that this book is about women being owned by men. It is not an easy read. It is graphic and disturbing and depressing. I had a hard time connecting the two very different lives Anna/Kate was experiencing in such a short period of time. I would have loved some background on Will/Daniel.

I am very conflicted about how I feel about this book. The beginning was very hard for me to get through due to the graphic and really depressing nature of the story. The middle section of the book was probably my favorite and I really enjoyed all of the characters we met in the town. In fact, the side characters throughout the story were probably my favorite part (from Alan, to Glen, and Ben, etc.). The ending felt a bit sudden and some of Anna's thoughts during this part really frustrated me. I thought some of the social commentary was really interesting, but the world as a whole felt a bit disjointed because I felt like there were such large discrepancies between the different settings and I couldn't really reconcile everything. The book definitely made me emotionally connect with Anna and there were times where I literally had to put my book down because I was so stressed. The story was exciting and it was hard to put down, but it was also just really hard to read at times both emotionally and also just out of sheer frustration.

A survivor struggling in a strange new world where everyone the enemy, the environment a dangerous terrain and the world now a battlefield of destruction. A momentary loss of alertness and our protagonist is unable to evade capture. The storyline moves into the relentless roles of prisoner and abductor. Total capitulation through abuse and daily debasement follows until the victim loses all sense of self esteem and identity. Told in three different time frames, we follow Anna the victim towards Kate the damaged survivor attempting with difficulty to engage, trust and move forward with a new identity and focus. What follows is the harrowing acceptance that the past is catching up but there is now more than her own life at stake. Survival depends on a cat and mouse strategy , to never again take a subservient role, and finally make her own life and death decisions if the innocent are to be protected. Was expecting one genre and surprised and shocked by a totally different story in which I became totally engaged, engrossed in every page to the exclusion of normal life. The joy of good fiction by an accomplished writer who momentarily draws you into their imagination . Thoroughly enjoyed this book which delivered believable characters involved in a story accurately depicting the destruction of an individual’s courage, identity and choice followed by a nail biting conclusion. Many thanks to author, publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

This is a spoiler-free review so at times it will seem vague!

The book is set in the not too distant future, in our world following a global breakdown of society. Many people are nomadic, some live in small travelling groups and there are a few settled communities. As you'd expect, life has changed dramatically and for the worse. Women are owned by men, frequently branded and imprisoned.

Smith creates a three part structure, in which we see the protagonist in different settings and learn different things about her. We first meet The Woman (I won't name her as it could be a spoiler), who was nomadic for two years, just as she is trapped by The Man in the wild (unnamed for similar spoiler concerns). This first of three parts covers The Woman's imprisonment and abuse at the hands of The Man. It's viscerally grim and hard to stomach. The first person narrative means the reader is able to watch the impact of such abuse from a front row seat. Smith doesn't hold back: it's harrowing and authentic.

The second section covers The Woman's escape and resettlement in a static community. There is hope here but Smith also deals with the impact of acute trauma. Unable to relax or let her guard down, The Woman remains cautious and careful. The other community members are brilliantly depicted by Smith - they're complicated, multi-faceted and never entirely innocent. Whilst reading, I couldn't help but reflect on my own morality. In a dystopian world, what parts of myself would I be willing to sacrifice to survive?

The final section is taut. And that's pretty much all I can say without revealing narrative points which would spoil the book for the next reader. I was worried I'd be disappointed with how Smith wrapped up the tale but I was absolutely sated by it.

Finishing the book, I was relieved and exhausted. My neck and jaw ached where I'd clearly been tensing as I read. I can't say I enjoyed it - it's not an enjoyable book - but I was utterly gripped by it. I read it across two days and the night in between was riddled with dreams of The Woman. If a book worms its way into your subconscious, the author is doing a lot of things right.

There are difficult topics covered in the book but they would be obvious spoilers. So my warning is that it's not for the faint hearted and I'll also give you some genre clues: dystopian, crime, drama, psychological thriller.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy.

This is a pretty brutal read which deals with a lot of challenging issues. The first part of the book I found particularly shocking to read and I had to put the book down and take a break. I continued with the book but I found it a struggle to complete and didn’t look forward to reading it.

𝙄𝙣 𝙖 𝙙𝙮𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙖𝙣 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙, 𝘼𝙣𝙣𝙖 𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙡. 𝘽𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙙, 𝙧𝙖𝙥𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙪𝙗𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙘𝙧𝙪𝙚𝙡 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙚𝙣.

Part one of this book started out STRONG.
Very heavy subjects were dealt with in an unflinching and raw way. I was afraid of what would come with each turn of the page and completely sucked into the story.

Unfortunately the rest of the book wasn't as good.
The first part ends with a pregnant Anna escaping her 'owner'. (Not a spoiler, it's in the blurb)
Now she's in a different community but it's like she went to a different dimension because here men and women co-exist as (mostly) normal and are rebuilding a library. It's a strange contrast to the dystopia that was first introduced.

The story progresses with lots of melodrama and relationships that seem forced.
I never really liked Anna's character. She's like that one person that most of us know irl who is always pretending they're something that they obviously are NOT and you're like 'oh honey, are you trying to fool me or yourself?' I appreciate the type of stong character she was meant to be but it never really resonated as true.

3⭐ because I liked and disliked things about this in equal measure.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺.
𝘈𝘷𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘺 25

I cant remember the last time I really wanted the main character to come out as the victor.

Anna is a victim, firstly due to the state of the world, then at the hands of a man - her owner. I spent the book wanting her to fight, to have a plan, to find her inner strength and to shoot him in the penis!

As a character Anna immediately makes you want to support her, shes not helpless becasue she has learnt how to survive. But, when he catches her she spends alot of time regretting not fighting back and allowing the shock to stop her resisting. Its always there though, just under the surface. The rollercoaster shes taken on both mentally and physically is astounding, and her strength of character really shines through at some points.

This book is really well written, keeps you turing the page and cheering on Anna right to the very end.

Wow! What an incredible experience it was reading this book! It is a dystopian story depicting a new world order where survival of the fittest dominates. Lawlessness, disorder and a collapse of civil society is the backdrop to this story of survival and freedom from oppression.

It has elements of The Handmaid’s Tale and Vox by Christiana Dalcher. A story of a young woman abducted by a ‘hunter’ this story is a roller coaster of emotions as we follow Anna’s story of freedom from oppression and pain from her kidnapper. We journey with her to shake the emotional trauma of her experiences but it’s a psychological thriller which gets under your skin. Smith is a master manipulator of emotions and at times I found myself thinking the captor wasn’t too bad then swinging the other way completely with my thoughts and emotions.

This book is hard hitting at times, violent but compelling reading. I couldn’t put this book down and read it in 1 and a half days which is no mean feat with 5 kids running about under my feet all day!

I look forward to seeing what else this author produces in the years to come.

Anna is a near post-apocalpytic book, when the government has fallen and each town rules itself, with the unlands in between, where there are no rules. In many of these towns, women have become objects, bartered as currency, treated however their owners wish to treat them. Anna has survived for years in the unlands, but is captured at the beginning of the book.

Part one details her captivity, in all its brutality, by a man who claims to be saving her, protecting her and loving her, all whilst beating her, branding her and raping her. It's not just Anna, we see the plight of other secondary characters as well, with blips of odd normality, like her playing Monopoly with a teenager named Ben - another slave - or being taken to the doctor for a medical exam - a woman who gets to be free because she has a position of power, but has no empathy for Anna whatsoever. These things are so close to the world we live in now, yet set amongst the brutality of a world I don't want to imagine. This is a future I could envisage, there's a gritty realism to it. The knowledge that my world and this world are just a stones throw from each other, and indeed, in some places, already overlap, made it all the more bleak. Some might find part one gratuitous, but the brutality of the first part of the book is there to emphasize the road to recovery that we're walking down. We need to live through what Anna has lived through, see the horror through her eyes, to appreciate and understand her fight against it.

In part two we meet Anna again, as Kate. Kate, heavily pregnant, has escaped captivity and found herself in a community where women are respected, where there are rules against violence, where everyone seems to want to work together. The rest of the story is not really about the world. It's about how Anna/Kate finds her personal sense of justice and peace, how she deals with being a survivor, with her trauma, how she makes friends, how she treats people, and how she reacts to certain situations. There's also a theme of motherhood, and the things that give us strength, the things we will fight for. At first I found part two a little strange, it almost felt like whiplash, going from brutal rape to cheery town, but even when it all seems normal, there's an undercurrent of dread. It feels normal, and yet, it's not. There are undercurrents of things being wrong. There are hints, there is foreboding. And we, the reader, know it's not going to be all sweetness and roses, because this isn't the world for that.

There were some weaker elements, for example Anna's backstory is a little inconsistent. I didn't quite buy the explanations of her relationship with her husband/parents. Some things didn't add up, and that let the story down a little. The pacing of the book feels off; but victims of abuse don't heal by clockwork. Sometimes it feels a little jarring.

When I initially finished this book, my gut feeling was that it was expertly written and well crafted - but I hadn't enjoyed it. The more I've thought about it since finishing, the more I can see how subtle some of it was, and I've come to appreciate it more. I still can't say it was an enjoyable read, but it challenged me to think deep. If I had to pick three words for Anna, they would be - intense, gripping, and uncomfortable.

Four out of five stars.

Book Review:
Anna by Sammy H. K. Smith
⭐⭐⭐ 3.5 stars
Release date 27th May, 2021

Set in a dystopian near future, this is not a book for the fainthearted. The relentlessly dark part one almost defeated me and I considered DNF'ing it. However, I'm glad I decided to continue. In this world the weak are enslaved and branded by the strong. Anna had survived on the margins by herself, until a stranger captures her and takes her to a town as his property.

Anna does not give in immediately. Fighting back and resisting her captor. He beats her and repeatedly rapes her until she submits. Will is a psychopath, alternating between cruelty and gentleness. He says he loves Anna and yet he brands her with his mark and keeps her prisoner. Tough as it is to read, this is a well crafted description of the way an abuse victims identity and fight can be stripped away.

Names play an important part in this story. Anna is subservient, giving in so she can survive. It feels like a small victory that she has given her abuser a false name. Keeping her true identity safe and hidden. Her abuser also has secrets. Is his name Will or Daniel? Or is it Peter? Names seem to signify separate identities.

When Anna finally managed to escape she finds herself in a quiet seaside town. Here she is Kate to her friends, Catherine to everyone else. Pregnant with her captors baby she tries to make a new life for them both in this seemingly safe haven. She soon discovers that spousal abuse and misogyny exist beneath the apparent calm. The author does a good job of describing Anna/Kate's response to both her pregnancy and the overtures of friendship from the town's inhabitants. Her fear of being touched, is just one manifestation of what I imagine is PTSD.

The final part is a roller coaster of emotions. It kept me turning pages to the very last one. Tense and even scary, I had my heart in my mouth as I rooted for Anna/Kate. Who is Will/Daniel and can she ever escape him?

I wouldn't say I enjoyed this novel. I am glad I read it. I think I have learned something about victims of abuse. Why people sometimes stay in such relationships and why it is so difficult to ask for help. The question of identity was interesting and left me wondering, what's in a name?

TW: rape, branding, sexual assault, physical violence.

Thank you to Netgalley for my e-ARC in return for a fair and unbiased review.

So sorry but this is absolutely not my cup of Cabernet.

When I read the plot about a brave woman’s liberating herself, running away from brutality to form a bran new life, I thought I was going to read something inspirational about women power with strong feminism vibes.

The first half of the book was so intense, graphically violence, extremely brutal for my taste. I kept gritting my teeth, clenching my fists, getting hard times to hold my vomit, hating everything I’ve read about Anna endured!

Anna is owned by Will: psychopath, merciless animal ( I cannot define him as a human being) he branded her, he beat her, he raped her and he manipulated her all the things he has done was her own good, for her own protection! Anna became obedient, dutiful, losing herself , losing the meaning of her existence. He breaks her into pieces!

After getting pregnant, Anna gathers her strength to rebel and save her child from the stinking community she lives. She decides to run and save herself during the aftermath of global war and entire society’s crashing down! She escapes to a quite shore-side town, welcomed by its townies with open hands. She feels like she finds a community more peaceful. But the darkness she’s been fighting so long is about to catch her and the tremendous, torturous past she’s lived with Will is gonna leave her alone.

The second half of the book makes you feel like you’re reading another book. The pace is slowed down. The community gatherings and picking right books for the library seem like the most important concerns of the people.

There are also many plot holes about back stories of the characters. Why Will turn into such a villain? And why Anna really got estranged from her family? So many things didn’t make any sense.

And after reaching the finish line I thought things would make more sense but it didn’t! There are tons of question marks dance above my head.

With its dystopian world and the women’s liberating acts against brutal men population may be great plot line with high potential. Even though the beginning was too disturbing and violent for my taste, I kept reading to see some hopeful revelations and smart conclusion but o didn’t get any of it.

So I’m only rounding up 2.5 stars to 3 because of promising start but overall I’m an unpopular reviewer for this journey because it didn’t fit my expectations.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Rebellion/ Solaris for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

An extremely power story of a single, determined and fierce woman trying to survive in a post semi-apocalyptic world. Anna takes the reader on a journey of a captured, branded, abused and brainwashed woman's fight to remain independent and human in a male dominated aftermath. What she will do to keep those she loves protected will keep you rooting for her from page one.

Gripping and Gruelling
This fast paced dystopian novel grips from the start. We get the opportunity to see the heroine at different stages in her life and in different roles - wife, daughter, independent survivor, newcomer to a settlement - and more but don't want to risk spoilers. Characters are sketched out in a way that, apart from a certain few, leaves ambiguity over their motivation and their relationships and attitudes to the power that they wield. The book considers the role that women occupy in a post apocalyptic world but also the choices, albeit limited, that they have. The violence and suffering endured by the heroine is vividly depicted and makes for a sometimes gruelling read. One of the highlights of the book is a close attention to nature and the details of landscape and the natural environment are beautifully drawn. A really tense and gripping read.

Netgalley preview copy in exchange for an honest review.

So this is a post-apocalyptic world where communities have fallen apart after a world war and coup has taken place. We meet our main character and narrator Anna. She is living in the Unlands alone (not inside a community) and avoids the towns/cities where the communities have set up because bad things happen there. Unfortunately she is caught by an Enforcer who enslaves and brands her as his. The first volume of the book is about her relationship with her abuser and it is bleak. Props to Smith for not writing in graphic detail the rape scenes (male writers take note) but the emotion and fall out of this abuse is so well written it is hard to read. It is so realistic I almost put the book down and DNF as I don't really need to read about domestic and sexual abuse with the consequences in fiction.

Volume two of the book Anna has escaped her captive and made it to walled in community. She is unsurprisingly pregnant from her abuser. We follow her making a life for herself there and trying to hide her massive brand on her back. As a survivor she doesn't want anyone to know her history or judge her so doesn't divulge her past. Again, scarily accurate of some survivor stories and Anna's torment is well described by Smith here. However, it is building up to her abuser coming to the community after hunting her down through his enforcer contacts. Even then she doesn't mention to her community who he is and everyone loves him; again scarily accurate to real life where the victim isn't believed as the abuser is nice to everyone else.

The last part of the book is Anna deciding to leave her newborn baby and run away, luring her abuser after her, to murder him. The plan works, she kills him, it's all very tense. Then the book ends. Anna mentions that it will be difficult for her to return to the community when her abuser's friends work in the town and that it will be hard to reclaim her baby. However we don't get to see that redemption. All this world building of a woman dealing with abuse and then she gets no closer was a let down in my opinion.

Overall a good read but nothing spectacular in the genre. I will say it is refreshing to have a female writer delve into the psychological aspect of domestic and sexual abuse within this setting, Smith is a police so maybe has resources to pull from. The novel hints at religion and patriarchy in the downfall of society and the impacts on the community afterwards. There are a couple of gay characters, maybe for representation, both are in abusive relationships which is disappointing to see.

The devolvement of society to it's basest instincts and the impact on women is beginning to wear a little thin in the post-apocalyptic genre for me. I don't want to keep reading about how unsafe I would be in that world when it's already a reality today.

'Anna is a survivor. After society has broken down, her husband has been conscripted, she's fallen out with her parents, the bombs fell and everything went horribly wrong, she hid out in the wilds for two years, living on her wits and what she could find. Then suddenly she's lost her freedom, caught, shackled and branded by Will who is determined to make her love him. It could be worse. Other captives are used for sex, as a reward to those who help their captors or as an incentive for good behaviour. Will is violent, controlling and abusive and when she gets her chance, she runs to set herself up in a seemingly quite civilised community.

As a post societal breakdown dystopia, Anna's world is sketched very lightly. We don't really get an insight into what happened or why - or at least, not a clear one. Many things work more or less as before; many others don't. Exploitation of women in times of conflict or short supply is not unusual; we see it all the time in our not yet dystopian world today. I felt often that I'd missed out on quite a bit chunk of society's backstory.

I also found only the one clue that this particular world is the UK. This was when the protagonist puts a 50p piece into a telescope. I'd have liked a few more references to where she was supposed to be.

The pace is good. We don't spend too long in any of Anna's worlds but we get the sense of menace that she can run but she can't hide. Her self-preservation tendencies reminded me of a Katniss Everdean character and I understood her reluctance to get too involved in her community. I'm not sure I understood her pursuer's ability to pass himself off as a half-decent human being whilst doing his utmost to win her back.

On the whole, it's a pretty good book although the ending felt a bit rushed and one feature of the ending - let's just call it the 'grave' so as not to give too much away - seemed to defy the science of decay and left me a bit confused.

As a small point of observation, Anna spends far more time sniffing everything and commenting to herself on smells than any creature who isn't a labrador could be expected to do. I'm often bugged by authors knocking on about people's eyes but in this case the over-obsession with smells got a bit irritating.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my copy.