Review: Girl, Stolen by April Henry

We all have that book. You know, the one that sits on the to-read pile practically forever, often cast aside in favour of bigger and brighter books. Then, the day comes when the pile is getting smaller, I idly pick it up and ... It turns out to be an absolutely brilliant novel.

That is exactly what happened to me with Girl, Stolen. I bought it from Dymocks a few months ago along with several other books (thanks for that gift voucher you got me for my birthday, Carolyn,) and somehow got stuck on the to-read pile. I picked it up on the weekend, having just finished and reviewed Daughter of Light and ... unputdownable. 

Completely and utterly unputdownable.

The novel tells the story of sixteen year old Cheyenne. Suffering from pneumonia and sleeping in the back seat of the family car while her stepmother collects Cheyenne's prescription from the pharmacy, she finds herself as an accidental victim of a kidnapping when the car is stolen. But that isn't the only problem. Cheyenne also happens to be blind. Meanwhile, her abductor, Griffin, didn't mean to take her, but he doesn't know what to do. When Griffin's dad, Roy, finds out what has happened and that Cheyenne comes from a wealthy family, he makes some big plans.

Rather than being a tragic heroine Cheyenne is a tenacious and very, very clever young woman. Her attempts at freeing herself from the situation are as bold as they are believable and I think this is what appealed to me the most about the book. Griffin, meanwhile, is basically a good kid from a bad family who has found himself in a terrible situation. I like that the author made me feel sorry for him, while still cheering Cheyenne on. A wonderfully crafted, well written book. Highly recommended. 

Comments

OEBooks said…
Hi Kathryn
This does sound like a good read, especially by your review of it. I think I'll pick me up a last minute Christmas present. Thanks for the tip, and Happy Holidays to you!
25 December 2012 at 16:25
Kathryn White said…
Excellent! Happy Holidays to you too :-)
25 December 2012 at 19:59
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