Review: Stolen, by Lucy Christopher

It happened like this. I was stolen from an airport. Taken from everything I knew, everything I was used to. Taken to sand and heat, dirt and danger. And he expected me to love him.

This is my story.

A letter from nowhere.
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 the 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. -Goodreads

Is it wrong that I was hoping for some sort of happy ending for Ty and Gemma?
Is it wrong that right now I feel so emotionally connected to Ty?
Is it wrong that that ending, instead of bringing me joy, had me in uncontrollable tears?

“And, let’s face it, you did steal me. But you saved my life, too. And somewhere in the middle, you showed me a place so different and beautiful, I can never get it out of my mind. And I can’t get you out of there, either. You’re stuck in my brain like my own blood vessels.”

Stolen is a heart wrenching, eye-opening, brilliantly written novel. It has powerful meaning, with endearing characters and a backdrop of the stunning Australian Outback. It goes into depth on the symptoms of Stockholm Syndrome, a condition I knew little about prior to reading Stolen.

I won’t lie when I say this; the author made it feel so genuine that I felt like I was suffering from Stockholm Syndrome.

Whilst reading this, I was so confused. One second, I would hate Ty, wanting the worst for him and a deserving punishment for his crimes. The next, I would have feelings of affection for him, similar to the feelings Gemma had about him. I don’t think I have ever felt this conflicted about my feelings before. This is a sign of a wonderful book, because it makes you feel and be so emotionally invested in the characters.

Gemma, the girl who was kidnapped, is a strong, determined girl. Her voice was so real and heartfelt that she was easy to relate to, a character everyone will love. We can see her perception of Ty gradually change throughout the novel, shifting from intense hate to love.

Ty, the kidnapper, is, at first, viewed a cruel malicious character, by reader and protagonist alike. I’m unsure how the author managed to change our view of him. The complexity of his character and his multi-dimensional personality were, in my opinion, fundamental in order for us to sympathize with him. He wasn't just an evil criminal who had no feelings whatsoever; in fact, he felt more believable than most other characters in other books. He was so fleshed out that you had no choice but to connect with him.

“And it's hard to hate someone once you understand them.”

The writing, oh the writing. It was simply divine. With the vivid descriptions and beautiful imagery, it had me captivated and holding on to every sentence, every word as I feverishly read on.

As grieving and as tear-jerking the ending was, I felt that it was fitting for this book. It had me in tears for days, but, in retrospect I am glad it ended like that.

“I can't save you like that Ty.
What you did to me wasn't this brilliant thing, like you think it was. You took me away from everything - my parents, my friends, my life. You took me to the sand and the heat, the dirt and isolation. And you expected me to love you. And that's the hardest bit. Because I did, or at least, I loved something out there.
But I hated you too. I can't forget that.”

Stolen caused me to think. Like, that deep kind of thinking; making you question the world and viewing things in a different light. It made me ponder. You know when a book makes you do this, it is one splendid book.

This book opened my eyes. It was like a breath of pure, fresh air in the midst of all this crap. Because that’s what it did; it made other books pale in comparison. I can say with certainty that this book will be a part of me and will not leave me anytime soon.

5 stars!