A review by canderson
The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel That Scandalized the World by Sarah Weinman

4.0

I've heard of Lolita, and I've always been meaning to read it; but like many avid readers, another book always gets in the way. I was attending BookCon in 2015 in NY when I stumbled upon this book. They were handing out free ARCs at the event and I was snagged a copy with the intention of reading Lolita first and then reading the theory behind the story.I was shocked to learn about this kidnapping. I'm a New Jersey resident, and live about 45 minutes from where Sally Horner was abducted. I had no idea about the horrors this young girl experienced at such a young age. Vladimir Nabokov, firmly denied that his book was based on Sally's story, however, after seeing Sarah Weinman's detailed breakdown of both Sally's story and Lolita's there were undeniable similarities between the two. Weinman blended both the research, her personal findings, the story of Lolita, and the case of Sally Horner's disappearance and subsequently short life, was mesmerizing.

I felt personally invested in the story; finding small hopes in certain points of Sally's story; and aching horribly for both her family and Sally herself as Weinman detailed her cross-country tour of hell. I'm not sure if it was because of the proximity of Sally's abduction, or the very real and very familiar places and locations of points of her story—but the story stuck with me long after I finished reading it.


I highly recommend for those who have already read Lolita, have heard of the story, or enjoy a non-fiction crime story.