Stolen: A Letter to My Captor

The Netflix movies Abducted in Plain Sight about a young girl from Idaho who gets abducted by the same man twice and The Ted Bundy Tapes were pretty popular a few months ago. I think we are countinously drawn to stories that we don't understand. And the mind of a kidnapper or a murderer is something that we really don't understand.

I think my fascination with kidnapping stories started when I was pre-teen and a friend lent me the book A Heartbeat Away by Rachel Ann Nunes, which tells the story of a 13-year-old girl who is kidnapped and murdered. It then details her experience in the afterlife, her killer being brought to justice, and how she helps her family cope. It's specifically written for an LDS audience, so the Mormon theology of the afterlife plays a huge factor in this book. But I was so intrigued by this book.

My latest read definitely hearkens back to this interest. Stolen: A Letter to My Captor by Lucy Christopher is a fiction telling of a kidnapping, as sixteen-year-old Gemma writes her journal in the form of a letter to Ty, her kidnapper, after she has survived the ordeal. When Ty kidnaps her from the Bangkok airport, Gemma is terrified--especially when she finds out he has been watching her for six-years. But unlike the stereotypical creepy stalker and kidnapper, he is young, handsome, and completely in love with her. He has previously rescued her from a potential sexual assault but seems to have no ill-intentions towards her of his own. The more time that Gemma spends with him, the more she sees Ty in a different light. As Gemma reflects on this period of her life, we start to see the blurred lines between love, obsession, and dependency while she lives life with Ty in the Australian outback, far away from her friends and family.

I think that we've all heard of Stockholm Syndrome. This is when hostages create a psychological bond or alliance with their captors--frequently as a defense mechanism. This novel really tells the story from Gemma's perspective. At the end, she denies that she has Stockholm syndrome but we are really left to wonder whether or not the feelings that she has developed for Ty are real or a symptom of what she has had to endure.

Christopher did an amazing job of making Ty out to be a likeable character. Sometimes you'll find yourself rooting for Ty and Gemma to get together. Then you remember that he kidnapped her. This really pulls you into what Gemma's perspective is and how conflicted she feels about him.

The novel also paints a beautiful picture of the Australian outback. Gemma first sees it as a barren wasteland that separates her from civilization and therefore, rescue. But eventually she begins to see beauty in the dry desert and in the beautiful night sky. 

I think this is an intriguing YA novel that demonstrates the complexities of human emotions and the ordeal of being kidnapped and isolated. 

Readers who like YA, stories about kidnappings, Australian settings, and realistic fiction will enjoy this book.