Stolen: A Letter to My Captor by Lucy Christopher

Buy the book:

Amazon / The Book Depository

Author's:

Webpage / Twitter / Facebook

Book summary:

"Gemma, 16, is on layover at Bangkok Airport, en route with her parents to a vacation in Vietnam. She steps away for just a second, to get a cup of coffee. Ty - rugged, tan, too old, oddly familiar - pays for Gemma's drink. And drugs it. They talk. Their hands touch. And before Gemma knows what's happening, Ty takes her. Steals her away. The unknowing object of a long obsession, Gemma has been kidnapped by her stalker and brought to the desolate Australian Outback."

Glass: So, Tanja! We finally did it. I think Zemira would give us a break now that we've read Stolen.
Tanja: Honestly I can sleep tight now. I was kinda of scared. I have one question for you - Would you change the end if you could? (just yes or no - spoiler free)
Glass: If it ended in different way, it wouldn't have the same effect so I would say no. But you know me and what I like...;)
Tanja: That's another story to tell ;)
Glass: Do you remember how we ended up after reading Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma or Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta? I think that "obsessed", "blown away", "speechless" would be a good choice of words. I feel the same way now. I'm just sorry that I didn't manage to read it in one sitting like you because of work.
Tanja: Exactly. I was lucky enough to read it one sitting and like I told you in my text it was really hard to sleep even though it was like 2 am in morning. I couldn't stop thinking about this book. I love it when in books the authors make me think about what would I do. Thinking about the story and putting myself in Gemma's position wasn't easy but really I had no idea what would I do. How would I act? Would I give up? Same thing happened with Melina a lot of times. Well there is definitively something down there in Australia cause I can't remember reading a bad Aussie book.
Glass: Haha, you're right about that - my secret wish since I was a teenager was to live in Australia - I blame it on TV show Heartbreak High. Gemma was so brave - I'm not sure if I could be that rational and calm. I love when lead female characters are strong and know exactly what they want. But I couldn't stop thinking about Ty. I know that everything he did was wrong, but at some point in his life he was a victim too. That part when he's telling her about his past, I just wanted to hug him and tell him that everything is going to be okay. I loved all the painting stuff - I wish I could see that. Do you have a favorite quote? I have a list, woman, a list!
Tanja: That's right! Through the whole book I was trying to keep in mind that Ty was a kidnapper and that I should feel sorry for him or try to find some reasons to justify what he did. But I failed - like big time! It's hard to believe that when I've heard of some kidnapping and I was always judging the kidnapper. Well let's face it Ty is different but still he did it. Honestly I'd say the whole book, cause every word was on the right place, but one of my fave was:

“You said you knew the perfect place to run to. A place that was empty of people, and buildings, and far, far away. A place covered in blood-red earth and sleeping life. A place longing to come alive again. It's a place for disappearing, you'd said, a place for getting lost... and for getting found.I'll take you there, you'd said.And I could say that I agreed.” 

Glass: Well, if I have to pick, I 'll chose this one:

"You told me once of the plants that lie dormant through the drought, that wait, half-dead, deep in the earth. The plants that wait for the rain. You said they'd wait for years, if they had to; that they'd almost kill themselves before they grew again. But as soon as those first drops of water fall, those plants begin to stretch and spread their roots. They travel up through the soil and sand to reach the surface. There's a chance for them again."

We would say that everyone needs to read Stolen. It's one of those  books that stays with you for the rest of your life.

Until the next time,