chesilbeach Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 (edited) Title: Stolen Author: Lucy Christopher Publisher: Chicken House Synopsis: 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 th 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. Review: Compelling, absorbing, engrossing - you won't want to put this book down once you start it. Gemma's letter evokes all the emotions you'd expect from the story of an abducted teenager, but what surprised me was how I came to feel about Ty from Gemma's retelling of his story. The heat and isolation of the outback is brilliantly described, and the observation of the natural world in Australia is detailed and beautiful, and in another context could make the reader yearn to visit, but in the heightened emotional situation of this story it is a claustrophobic prison that you're desperate to escape from. Or are you? The author challenges you to listen to Gemma tell you Ty's background and his explanation of events leading up to his meeting with Gemma in the airport in Bangkok, and you too begin to question his motives and consider whether there could be a future for these two. The conclusion is wonderfully open ended, leaving unanswered questions, and giving the you the option to decide on what you think the truth is. Edited August 23, 2010 by chesilbeach Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mia Posted August 26, 2010 Share Posted August 26, 2010 I've read this and enjoyed it. It was a very gripping story and I liked the way nothing was black and white; I thought that was quite realistic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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