Stolen: A Letter to My Captor by Lucy Christopher

It happened like this. I was stolen from an airport. Taken from everything I knew, everything I was used to. Taken to sand and heat, dirt and danger. And he expected me to love him.

This is my story.

A letter from nowhere.

Sixteen year old Gemma is kidnapped from Bangkok airport and taken to the Australian Outback. This wild and desolate landscape becomes almost a character in the book, so vividly is it described. Ty, her captor, is no stereotype. He is young, fit and completely gorgeous. This new life in the wilderness has been years in the planning. He loves only her, wants only her. Under the hot glare of the Australian sun, cut off from the world outside, can the force of his love make Gemma love him back?

The story takes the form of a letter, written by Gemma to Ty, reflecting on those strange and disturbing months in the outback. Months when the lines between love and obsession, and love and dependency, blur until they don’t exist – almost. (Goodreads)

I am sorry to say that I actually DNF’d this book. I wanted to love it! After reading a bunch of reviews that really made the book sparkle, when I actually got down to it and started reading, I was thoroughly disappointed. I was prepared to be transported to Gemma’s world after being kidnapped and taken to the Outback, but I found myself actually putting the book down and doing other things. In short, I was bored and I felt as disconnected and any person could at a story that they don’t like – and I Hate that!

The story is supposed to be in the form of a letter from Gemma to her kidnapper, Ty. Ty is not an ordinary kidnapper – he has been watching Gemma for the last 6 years and is supposed to be a regular hottie. I couldn’t picture it. I couldn’t get the idea in my head from the events that were described – it just didn’t seem at all realistic. I also felt like this was more of a memoir rather than a letter.

I was all prepared to deal with a little bit of Stockholm Syndrome – but I didn’t even get that far! I was expecting something different to what I actually got out of what I read from this book and, I reiterate, I am disappointed. I hate DNF’ing a book, but I feel that this is necessary for me.

I also didn’t feel like I could connect to Gemma in any sense or form. I almost didn’t really care about what had happened to her and what was going to happen to her – like I do with so many other characters that I have enjoyed over the time that I have been reading.

Maybe this is the Marmite of books – you either love it or you hate it. It may not be everybody’s cup of tea. I absolutely detest not finishing books because I feel like I am not giving the book that full potential; but honestly, I don’t feel like I could survive another page without putting the book back down and finding a new activity to do. Hopefully if and when Lucy Christopher writes another book, I will try it out and I will enjoy it. Hopefully.

Unfortunately I had to give this book 1/5 stars. Do not let this dishearten you however! Like I said, I feel that this is the Marmite of books – try it out and see if you love it or hate it!