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Bereft Reality
“This is what sets the author apart… a consistent, identifiable voice—the author has done a very good job.”
— Anonymous publishing company
Why Read Bereft Reality?
A psychological-horror thriller about self-esteem turned weapon, mentorship turned manipulation, and a “finishing school” that forges success by breaking the human being first.
A Teaser
On the edge of the slums around Lincoln Park, Michigan, one business thrives by promising reinvention.
They sell confidence—efficient, total, absolute.
Candidates (mostly women) enter a one-week crash course to master corporate survival: poise, pitch, obedience, control. But the contract hides the cost: rights forfeited, privacy erased, identity remade. The program is rebirth by design—physical and psychological. You exit fit for battle… if you exit at all.
Esteem is a blade with two edges. If you were taught the sky was green and the grass was blue, how long before you swear it’s true?
Description
Bereft Reality follows Summer, who agrees to help a friend “level up” by enrolling her in an elite empowerment course. When her friend vanishes, Summer goes hunting—and finds a hidden machine that manufactures power by erasing personhood. Inside, seduction is a policy, pain is a tool, and loyalty is a ledger. Every lesson asks the same question in a different voice: What will you give up to win?
Excerpts (Curated Moments)
1) The Offer
Summer steps into a room that speaks in whispers: pills, whiskey, and a voice (Amanda) promising relief if Summer just obeys. The TV plays The Princess Bride like a threat wrapped in nostalgia. The couch is empty. The trap isn’t. Summer chooses clarity over sedation—and starts planning from the shadows.
2) The Driver
Sharon answers her door, breathless and off-balance, to a woman in a gray suit who calls herself a driver, not a recruiter. “A job interview—of sorts.” The clock is already set; the terms are already written. Red shoes. Black skirt. A career path that begins with surrender.
3) Detective Marcus
A cop with routines sharp enough to cut himself, Marcus chases Summer’s missing friend—and his own appetites. A bubble bath, a naked dinner, and a confession crack open an old foster-home nightmare. Justice and desire share a table. Neither brings napkins.
4) The Deal
Sabrina wants out. She offers Summer the keys—to the room, to the funds, to vengeance. “Take Amanda. Run this place. Test your limits.” Freedom is suddenly negotiable. The handshake becomes a fistfight. In this house, every promise bleeds.
Themes & Triggers (Reader Advisory)
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Psychological manipulation; coercion and control
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Female agency, body autonomy, and exploitation
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Violence, captivity, revenge
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Moral ambiguity: empowerment vs. indoctrination
Fun Facts
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The “course” structure was inspired by real corporate bootcamps—pushed to a monstrous extreme.
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The Detroit setting let the story braid grit, ambition, and survival into one mood.
Some Reviews
“This book will haunt me for a long time, but in a good way!”
— Stacy
“Bereft Reality is an interesting, surreal novel that pushes the boundaries of typical literature.”
— Laura
“Reads like a steamy, X-rated soap opera—in the best way. So much drama; what an emotional roller coaster!”
— Essie
“I loved the dark drama, the original plot, and especially that Summer and Amanda weren’t clichés. They felt real.”
— Karen (ReaderGirl)
First book in the Fine Lines trilogy
Published: April 16, 2015