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3.28 AVERAGE
3.28 AVERAGE
wish I can give 3.5 stars. Really liked style of writing
A well-written novel that takes a Jodi Picoult-type current controversy theme (a boy returned to his family some years after being abducted by a pedophile) and gives us a great deal to think about. I found it a particularly poignant read in light of the recent barrage of publicity about the young women who were found in Cleveland, Ohio after 10 years in captivity. There is no mistaking the impact of our insatiable media on people in this sort of spotlight, or the challenges of those trying to readjust. The novel opens as 14 year old Caleb is trying to settle in with his family. He went missing as an 11 year old, the same age his sister is now. His mother literally flees the country with him and his sister in order to try to heal.
The theme is a grim one, but I disagree with those who found it graphic: if anything, the author skates quite carefully over the details of what he might have experienced, giving the reader just the smallest taste, and that toward the very end of the book.
What she does exceptionally well is chart the inner struggles of a boy who no longer knows what is 'normal', who worries that he may have been at fault, that his family can no longer love him, who isn't sure where he belongs anymore.
She captures well the stresses on his family: a mother who threw herself into the search for her missing child so absolutely that she hardly knows how to function now that he is found; a father struggling with guilt over having 'given up' the boy for dead, a sister tippy-toeing through the minefield of all their anxieties. I sometimes lost patience with the too-modern family (I wanted to hiss "Grow up, already" at Caleb's parents, uncle and grandmother!) but it is hard to imagine how ANY of us would react in a situation as dramatic as this one.
This was a leisurely read, twisty and challenging. I found it reassuring that the author was able to give us some hope in the end: Caleb eventually finds that he DOES know where he belongs, and is able to make useful choices. There is a sense that love can heal even these astonishing wounds. People survive such ordeals and sometimes reemerge whole, if changed.
A remarkable undertaking
The theme is a grim one, but I disagree with those who found it graphic: if anything, the author skates quite carefully over the details of what he might have experienced, giving the reader just the smallest taste, and that toward the very end of the book.
What she does exceptionally well is chart the inner struggles of a boy who no longer knows what is 'normal', who worries that he may have been at fault, that his family can no longer love him, who isn't sure where he belongs anymore.
She captures well the stresses on his family: a mother who threw herself into the search for her missing child so absolutely that she hardly knows how to function now that he is found; a father struggling with guilt over having 'given up' the boy for dead, a sister tippy-toeing through the minefield of all their anxieties. I sometimes lost patience with the too-modern family (I wanted to hiss "Grow up, already" at Caleb's parents, uncle and grandmother!) but it is hard to imagine how ANY of us would react in a situation as dramatic as this one.
This was a leisurely read, twisty and challenging. I found it reassuring that the author was able to give us some hope in the end: Caleb eventually finds that he DOES know where he belongs, and is able to make useful choices. There is a sense that love can heal even these astonishing wounds. People survive such ordeals and sometimes reemerge whole, if changed.
A remarkable undertaking
The book started off slowly and I was tempted to put it down unfinished but I persisted in reading it. It got better as it went along and I'm glad I finished it though.
Intense, uncomfortable and compelling read--couldn't put it down but was relieved to turn the last page.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
*I won this book in a GoodReads First Reads Giveaway*
This book was uncomfortable to read. And I'll admit, it actually took me over two years to finish it. I put it down and just couldn't bring myself to get back to it. The subject matter is depressing, and one of those times where portraying it realistically was actually something that detracted from my enjoyment. If you read it, you'll understand.
The writing itself was oddly beautiful and unique. But it also made it difficult to get into the story. It was kind of like you were entirely disconnected from the story. And for some reason, the story also kind of lagged in places. Nothing was going on for huge portions of the story and then the book ended suddenly and without a satisfying conclusion - something that drives me absolutely insane. As for the characters, I thought most of them were well written and their behavior realistic, if annoying. I loved Luis. I enjoyed Lark. And I felt for Caleb, even if I didn't understand him.
Overall, I thought the book was alright, just not for me.
This book was uncomfortable to read. And I'll admit, it actually took me over two years to finish it. I put it down and just couldn't bring myself to get back to it. The subject matter is depressing, and one of those times where portraying it realistically was actually something that detracted from my enjoyment
Spoiler
the moment in San Jose where Caleb says he waiting for Jolly, or some other man to pick up his leash...Ugh. Cringe. I hated it! How I hated it. Especially how true it probably wasThe writing itself was oddly beautiful and unique. But it also made it difficult to get into the story. It was kind of like you were entirely disconnected from the story. And for some reason, the story also kind of lagged in places. Nothing was going on for huge portions of the story and then the book ended suddenly and without a satisfying conclusion - something that drives me absolutely insane. As for the characters, I thought most of them were well written and their behavior realistic, if annoying. I loved Luis. I enjoyed Lark. And I felt for Caleb, even if I didn't understand him.
Overall, I thought the book was alright, just not for me.
Some of the characters here were wonderful, but some I just wanted to slap silly. Mom, for example. When your son gets returned to you after three years of sexual slavery and "rescue" by the pedophile's doctor, you don't act like a spoiled child. Ditto Dad. The adult irresponsibility just annoyed me so much! Equally annoying was the shrink and FBI 'handler' Julianna - who knows what they were supposed to be doing/thinking, but it was annoying and blatantly stereotypical.
And then there's Caleb, back from what sister Lark calls three years of "Gone". At times he's confused, living a bifurcated life that relies too much on outside clues as to how to act and at others he cleverly manipulates people around him to getting what he wants. He's the reason I didn't give up on this book. The other interesting person, Lark, wasn't explored enough and I really wish she had been because whenever she was given a voice, it was realistic (although if I'd been her, I would have been so much angrier at Mom and Dad).
ARC provided by publisher.
And then there's Caleb, back from what sister Lark calls three years of "Gone". At times he's confused, living a bifurcated life that relies too much on outside clues as to how to act and at others he cleverly manipulates people around him to getting what he wants. He's the reason I didn't give up on this book. The other interesting person, Lark, wasn't explored enough and I really wish she had been because whenever she was given a voice, it was realistic (although if I'd been her, I would have been so much angrier at Mom and Dad).
ARC provided by publisher.
i recieved this book for free through goodreads first reads
I did not like this book. at all. it was boring, implausible and scattered. there was not one character that I cared about at all. nobody was even remotely likable. I found myself skimming pages at a time just to get through it. in the end I was not even able to finish it
I did not like this book. at all. it was boring, implausible and scattered. there was not one character that I cared about at all. nobody was even remotely likable. I found myself skimming pages at a time just to get through it. in the end I was not even able to finish it
This book kept my interest enough to finish the book but I didn't like the book. It was not what I expected it to be.