Stolen

Author: Lucy Christopher
Recommended Age: Young Adult
Publisher: Chicken House
ISBN: 978-0-545-17093-2
Year Published: 2009
No. Pages: 299
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Main Character Gender: Female
Read & Reviewed by: Alisha




"There was a strange sort of familiarity about you. I'd seen you before... somewhere... but who were you?"

Seventeen year-old Gemma is drawn into Ty's trusting eyes when they meet in the airport. He buys her coffee, drugs it and kidnaps her. He takes her to the outbacks of Australia where Gemma wakes up in a cabin in the middle of nowhere. Stressed and scared, she tries to escape. Weeks pass and slowly she starts warming up to Ty. She still keeps her hopes that her rich parents are on their way, and that she is not lost forever. Ty loves Gemma but can he make her love him back?
   
Lucy Christopher did an amazing job describing Gemma. She gave you someone to be with. I saw myself in Gemma because, like me, she's stubborn and resilient. You can't help but feel that Ty is creepy and frightening for watching Gemma her whole life and then kidnapping her. But, you also appreciate his use of words and creativity. I also thought Christopher added a bit of a twist- how often is a kidnapper that hot? I thought Ty was a multi-layered character and much more interesting than Gemma. I now understand what people mean when they use the term Stockholm Syndrome and how Gemma might fall for her captor. Christopher presented the topic of kidnapping as a complex situation, rather than a cut and dry one.


Stolen was a great novel and Lucy Christopher deserves a round of applause for writing it. I think this novel is definitely worth reading. I would recommend this to mature readers because of its subject matter.