It happened like this. I was stolen from an airport. Taken from everything I knew, everything I was used to. Taken to sand and heat, dirt and danger. And he expected me to love him.
This is my story.
A letter from nowhere.
Sixteen year old Gemma is kidnapped from Bangkok airport and taken to the Australian Outback. This wild and desolate landscape becomes almost a character in the book, so vividly is it described. Ty, her captor, is no stereotype. He is young, fit and completely gorgeous. This new life in the wilderness has been years in the planning. He loves only her, wants only her. Under the hot glare of the Australian sun, cut off from the world outside, can the force of his love make Gemma love him back?
The story takes the form of a letter, written by Gemma to Ty, reflecting on those strange and disturbing months in the outback. Months when the lines between love and obsession, and love and dependency, blur until they don’t exist – almost.
Stolen: A Letter to My Captor is a thrilling read and one that I greatly enjoyed.
In an airport one day in August, Gemma is kidnapped. Held captive in the middle of nowhere, she has two options: survive until she can find a way to escape or give up and face an endless life of torture.
Stolen deals with such a controversial topic so I really did wonder about how it would be dealt with. There were so many ways in which this could have been written and I think it was just right.
Being written in second person, something that is completely new to me, I was strangely pleased to find that I really enjoyed it. It worked so well and I can’t imagine it being written in any other way. I think a lot of novels could take a leaf out of this novels book and I’d like to read something similar in the future.
Gemma, the protagonist, is hard to put into words. She was just herself and it was easy to put yourself into her shoes. Because of the way it was written, it seemed as if she was a lot closer than some protagonists that I’ve read about. I did feel sorry for her because being held captive in a foreign country would be a very traumatic experience.
Even though Ty is supposed to be the bad guy, I actually really liked him. Christopher has taken all of peoples assumptions and flipped them on the head to create a sad and captivating tale. It was easy to tell that something was wrong with Ty. After all, who takes a girl against her will and flees to the Australian Outback? Behind the facade he was actually incredibly sweet and caring and a character that I really liked.
Lucy Christopher has managed to write a believable setting that immediately interested me. I wanted to know more and was very impressed by the writing’s descriptive nature.
One of the things that I really loved about this book was that I could feel it. It was so easy to put yourself into Gemma’s shoes and this was a tell tale sign that I really liked it.
This was an emotional (yes, I was close to tears at a number of times) and profound read that I loved immensely. I’m looking forward to reading more by the author.
RATING: 5/5
**Looking back over this review, I realise how rubbish it is. I’m so sorry!**
Lucy Powrie is a blogger, YouTuber and author from the UK. When she's not reading, she enjoys cuddling guinea pigs and eating Oreo chocolate, but let's be real: she's mostly always reading.
12 Comments
Paige Turner
25 February, 2013 at 3:40 amOh my goodness I loved this book so much and it touched me so deeply. I wish Lucy Christopher would write more books like this because it was truly amazing. I think your review really captured what this novel is all about. Happy reading! 🙂
Pink Lady 631
25 February, 2013 at 9:18 amWow this sounds like a really intresting read. I need your help. I have the choice to be either the selection or insurgent. Since you seem to have read both of them which one would you choose to buy?
So Many Books, So Little Time
25 February, 2013 at 4:14 pmThis is one of my favourite books – I’m so glad you loved it. I really liked Ty even though he took Gemma and I thought that tug between heart and head was beautifully written.
Amber @ The Mile Long Bookshelf
25 February, 2013 at 4:16 pmI NEED TO READ THIS RIGHT NOW O M G. I hadn’t actually heard about this book before reading your review, but now I’m really desperate to read it! Fab review!
Amber
The Mile Long Bookshelf
Rebekah Campbell
25 February, 2013 at 7:38 pmOh man. It just. Ugh. Stolen is so haunting and it genuinely terrified me! I felt so bad for Ty but at the same I wanted him to stay the hell away. What a fantastic debut and what a brill review as always 😉
Zoe Crook
25 February, 2013 at 7:43 pmI read this a few months ago and remember really enjoying it. I totally agree about the second person narrative, I love that aspect of the book! I was going to write a review just so I could comment on that but I then .. I.. um.. didn’t. -.-
Thanks for the great review, Lucy! I’m glad you enjoyed it! Have you read anything else by Lucy Christopher? Her debut novel, Flyaway, has been on my wishlist forever. :p
Jessica Prosper
25 February, 2013 at 9:19 pmI read this last summer. I really liked the way it was written too and I agree with you about Ty. Even though he was her kidnapper, I felt compassion for him, especially in the end.
Lovely review.
Jess@FueledbyFiction
Gwynneth White
26 February, 2013 at 5:45 amI saw this at my bookshop but ignored it. Shame on me. I am definitely going to rectify that!
Cheers
Gwynneth
Kazhy
26 February, 2013 at 10:37 amI’ve wanted to read this since the first time I heard of it, and that was last year >_< Soon, hopefully! And I hope it'll bring me to tears, too XD Great review, Lucy!
Clover
4 March, 2013 at 10:51 amI’ve had this book on my shelves for absolutely AGES and I still haven’t read it. I really should do though, I’ve only heard really good things about it.
Lectus
17 March, 2013 at 1:16 amI liked the story too. I wish Christopher would write a second book from the perspective of what was done to find Gemma.
Clover
20 November, 2015 at 8:11 pmThis book is amazing
Best book I’ve read. I didn’t want it to end and it made me cry. I love how it’s a letter to her captor ??