A review by tyrex117
Stolen by Lucy Christopher

5.0

This review contains marked spoilers.

Oh Stolen, there is a very special place for you on my bookshelf. As a book I wouldn't normally read, this is just utterly fantastic.

I first came across it after attending a talk given by Lucy Christopher herself. I'm currently studying Creative Writing at Bath Spa University, where Christopher earned her MA before publishing Stolen. I even bought the book direct from her, got it signed in red pen and had desert sand poured amongst the pages, but that's neither here nor there. What is, is the way her words captivated me in her speech, so I already had high hopes for my spontaneous purchase. Hearing how Stolen was born, how the opening line "You saw me before I saw you," came to her one day and has never changed, and how the novel's ending went through TEN different drafts is astounding. As a debut, it holds much promise for Christopher's other works [b:Flyaway|6908412|Flyaway|Lucy Christopher|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348244303s/6908412.jpg|7133359] and [b:The Killing Woods|16207813|The Killing Woods|Lucy Christopher|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1354487219s/16207813.jpg|22165725], which was in the publishing process at the time of the talk.

Plot
16 year old Gemma Toombs is abducted in a Bangkok airport by 24 year old Ty after he drugs her coffee. He takes her to the middle of the Australian outback and expects her to fall in love with him, the land and way of life. The novel is a form of experimentation in the effects of Stockholm Syndrome with Christopher cleverly drawing an extremely thin line between love and obsession. The physical descriptions given of Ty by Gemma is tainted with confusion. But this isn't a negative - it's the novel's strength. Gemma is clearly confused with her feelings towards the captor, and this in turn confuses the reader and as confessed by Christopher, even she began to feel conflicted towards Ty. By the end, I felt myself starting to hope Ty and Gemma will move on from the whole "kidnap" thing and just get together...



It's just fantastic! The descriptions of the Australian outback are incredibly vivid and well-captured. Scenes that are purely about colour and substance made it feel as if you too were seeing what Gemma could see. Due to the amazing imagery of the novel, it was fast-paced and never once felt like a chore to read.

Character
For a novel with essentially just two characters, I can't get over just how fantastic it is. You want to follow Gemma and Ty, you want to find out more and more about them, you want to love them - Yes, both of them.

Gemma Toombs
The novel's protagonist and voice. Stolen is Gemma's letter to Ty after the events have all taken place. Not a huge spoiler since it's in the title.... was probs gonna mention it ...She's an only child, travelling with her well-to-do, sheltering parents. There appears, at first, to be no love lost between them with Gemma perhaps even resenting them a little.

Spoiler

It is revealed later that prior to Gemma, her mother suffered many miscarriages, so it becomes understandable why her parents protect her and limit what she can do. Yet at the same time, it has produced a daughter with a rebellious streak, which in turn kick-starts the kidnapping into motion.

What I love most about Gemma is just how much spirit she possesses. Unlike the majority of girls abducted, she doesn't display the "damsel-in-distress" tendencies I've come to expect from other female protagonists. She's smart, brave and decisive

Spoiler

even making several attempts to escape

and this makes her a very strong character to follow. You understand and connect with her confusion, and I'm glad for a character who doesn't annoy me with their every move. For a novel with this heavy a subject, having a likeable character is it's biggest strength.

Tyler "Ty" MacFarlane
Ty is one of the most clever characters I've come across in a long time. He's introduced as the bad guy right off the bat, with him buying coffee for the young Gemma in a Bangkok airport coffee shop. He takes Gemma and we hate him for the way he treats her, and how he expects her to love him regardless. Yet as the novel progresses, and we start learning more about him, we - like Gemma - start to become attached to him.

Spoiler

We learn that he grew up in the Australian outback with his Dad after his mother stays in England. He runs away from home and lives wild off the land. He is soon captured and sent to stay with his mother, and turns to a life of drink and drugs. He hates the concrete jungle of London, missing the natural setting of the outback. It's in one of his drunken episodes that he intervenes between Gemma and an eager-male friend. From that moment, he falls in love with her and believes that he must take her with him, away from London to the outback, in order to save her. Unhealthy obsession and stalking ensues.

We see in him a confused child, someone who needs understanding to find peace. He honestly feels he is doing some good in abducting Gemma and introducing her to aboriginal way of life. So by the end of the novel and of the letter, we find ourselves worrying about Ty and his future despite our misgivings. A brilliant character that takes the responsibility of the book upon his shoulders with ease.

Summary
I simply can't recommend and stress about this book enough. It allowed me to break out of my YA fantasy/adventure/dystopia mould and enjoy being out of my comfort zone. In fact, I enjoyed what is essentially an uncomfortable read - because you're constantly questioning your own morals and values as the narrative progresses.

If a book makes me want to do this:

It is truly worth your time.

Until next time.... Happy Reading!
Tyrex117