Stolen

This week one thing is for sure, Lucy Christopher stole my attention with her novel, Stolen. This book is a complete 180 from The Lost Songs I read last week. It’s not that I didn’t like reading about a girl in the south and her musical heritage problems, but this type of read was ten times more interesting. So here’s the basics, Gemma was in the Bangkok airport with her family and was kidnapped by a mysterious man named Ty. He drugged her and changed her into someone else with a new outfit, passport, the whole kit and caboodle. Gemma woke up in the desert, surrounded by nothing but sand. Turns out, they are in Australia in Ty’s secret hideout/house. Gemma tried to escape, but there was no trace of society for thousands of miles. Eventually she finds a way back to her family, and there’s even some romance involved. Oh and there’s also a lot of violence, drugs, profanity… quite entertaining.

Christopher’s style is what drew me in the most. Complete perfection. This was a first person narrative which also helped me get into it quicker than I had before. The pages flew by- it was amazing. Something interesting was the fact that the whole time Gemma was narrating, she addressed Ty as “you.” “You glanced down at your glass. It looked like you wanted to wander off again to get some more. I don’t know why exactly, but suddenly I wanted to keep talking to you.” It created a person versus person conflict that was filled with hatred but also a hint of appreciation. Christopher also did not write within chapters. Sections were separated by a neat little ~*~ type figure every so often to divide Gemma’s thoughts and dialogue.  Christopher’s descriptions were concise and yet incredibly detailed I could envision myself being held captive where Gemma was.

                “I’m sorry I broke Mum’s favorite vase.

                I’m sorry you caught me drunk that day.

                I’m sorry we were arguing in the airport.

                I’m sorry I got abducted.

                I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m  sorry. . .”

               

Plain and simple, my life would be ruined forever if I was taken from my family and put in a place where escaping was near impossible. This book made me think about how unsafe the world can be in public places, like the airport Gemma was taken from. We’d like to put trust into the idea that most people are humane and would never steal another person to keep them locked away, stored in the middle of nowhere, but sadly, we live in a world where this type of action occurs unnoticed and uncorrected. Why?

On another thought, can people force one another into love? What constitutes real love?  Gemma and Ty certainly did not have it in the first stages of their relationship. But somehow, it sort of (kind of) worked out. Christopher interludes scandalous scenes throughout the novel that keep the reader wondering, does this guy really have a thing for her or am I delusional because of all the heat and sand around here?

Long story short, try not to get abducted while in an airport by a crazy man by the name of Ty. But if you do, please be prepared for a difficult journey home through love, hate, and a plethora of Australian sand!