What is this I don't even.

When I was 12 (that being about 10 years ago) I didn’t really read a lot, and when I did, it was always books that someone else (parents, other relatives, teachers and the like) had picked up for me. Then one day I got this random book from a book club that really rocked my world. I got so in to it that I read it in less than two days and even after reading it I just couldn’t be at peace ‘cos my thoughts were so caught up in it, and so I had to read the entire book again. And again. After the third time I was finally able to put it on a shelf (although I’ve read it about 10 times after that, and then in a couple of other languages too), and after that I realized what kind of books I’m in to and actually started a habit of reading.

The reason I’m ranting about this is that even though I read a lot these days, not one book has had that kind of an effect on me that I’d just have to read it again on the spot (maybe in a year or two but never right away)… until I read The Punishment. Your story is just so amazingly brilliant and full of emotion and detail that I just couldn’t turn my thoughts away from it for a second after starting it, and even after I had no choice but to start over and read it all again and again and again…

Anyway, just wanted you to know what a huge effect your story has had on me. Your work is truly amazing^^

—submitted by Annikki

Oh gosh. Really sweet folks with really sweet words are just coming out of the woodwork today! Thank you so much for taking the time to share this with me. I know exactly the feeling you’re talking about, and to think that I’ve given that to anyone else with my own writing is pretty amazing.