Stolen: A Letter to My Captor, by Lucy Christopher

What if you were taken from everything you knew? Your family, your home, your safety? In Stolen: A Letter to My Captor, by Lucy Christopher, sixteen year old British city dweller Gemma is taken from the life she knew in an airport while on vacation with her family. Her kidnapper, Ty, takes her to the outbacks of Australia which looks like a wasteland to the eye of one who has lived in the city their whole life. But Ty sees an opportunity for a new life, more connected with the earth and free from the vicious cycle of city life. But Ty is not a stereotype kidnapper, and soon, Gemma starts to sympathize with him when she sees his true colors. Is she beggining to realize what Ty's dream is or is this a classic case of Stockholm Syndrome?

What I like most about this book is that it is not a very common theme that you see in a lot of kidnapping-type novels. This one sort of steps outside the box when it comes to establishing the antagonist because Gemmas captor isn't exactly evil, nor is he good. It is absolutely an intersting read and it really stuck with me after finishing it. I would rate it a 8.5/10 for its unorthodox type of plot and deep character developement. You really see who each character is and the author gives us a lot of insight on their thoughts and reasoning.

Reviewed by Cody W., grade 12.
Montrose Library