Kidnapping

Goodreads First Reads Winner

This is a story with a very sensitive subject and one that is poignant and deeply touching. Eleven year old Lauren O'Neil is abducted from her neighborhood in Portland, Oregon, as she walks home from school. Six years later she is found, and it is discovered that she had been kept only a mile or two away from her home. She had been violated, abused and endured a nightmare of cruelty. Lauren lived through a traumatic six years and it would take a long time to unravel the complex relationship between her and the abductor. She would also need help to recover and heal to become part of her family again. Lauren knew reunification with her family was the right thing to do, but she found it difficult. She couldn't even allow her Mom to love her. And the story unfolds ---

There is a wide cast of complex characters with vivid personalities. The premise of the story had potential and I was captured early on. However, it lost its momentum in the middle section and the storyline became very predictable with a rather forced ending. The book was an interesting read, but not one I would enthusiastically recommend. My rating is 3.5 stars.

Thank you to Goodreads for selecting me as a First Reads Winner. ( )