Reviewed by Noelle: March 15, 2011
Published May 4, 2009 by Chicken House Ltd
Gah. The feelings. I'm still trying to process them all. This book evoked such a visceral response. I'm not sure if I thought anything the entire time I was reading it but I felt everything. There was this constant low level buzz of dread--a wonderful, dazed, hysteria always in the background. I had a knot in my chest the whole book and it is still there even now that I'm finished. The Australian outback is such a perfect setting too, filled with beauty and despair. After awhile it started to feel like a hallucination.
Stolen is 16 year old abductee Gemma's letter to her captor after she is kidnapped from a Bangkok airport and taken to Australia. The writing style is simple but utterly engrossing. Lucy Christopher skillfully immerses the reader in Gemma's emotional roller coaster of fear, confusion, desperation and shockingly, sympathy.
And what a genius format to choose--a letter directed to the captor. Blurring the "you", the captor with "you", the reader. Such a clever way to form that subconscious bond.
I thought the book needed a few more speed bumps in the last corner before home stretch and the format, while perfect in so many ways, allowed for some huge unanswered questions. Still this book, while not flawless, will immediately put its hooks into you. Be prepared to read it in one sitting. At one point I seriously debated calling in to work so I could continue reading!
This book stressed me out in the best possible way.
Verdict: 4.5/5 stars.
Verdict: 4.5/5 stars.
gah i've wanted this book for soooooo long. i literally like, PINE for it! hehe.
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