Author - Lucy Christopher
ISBN - 9780545170932
Publication Date - May 2010
Plot - Told as a letter written towards her kidnapper, Stolen is the story of Gemma, a sixteen year old girl who is abducted at an airport and dragged off to Australia to start a new life. From the moment her abductor makes contact with her at the airport, she feels that there is something significant and familiar about him, but she cannot place her finger on it. He ends up drugging her at the airport in Thailand, and shuffling her off in a plane pretending that she is drunk and that they are celebrating. Eventually she ends up in Australia, tied up in a small room. When she is finally allowed some freedom she senses that there is not really any freedom for her, as she has no means of going anywhere, and would not know where to go anyway. Eventually she develops a bond, and even a sort of love for her kidnapper. She begins to have an understanding of who he is and why he did things. Although he continues to maintain certain fictions about her parents so she will not keep trying to escape.
Eventually she gets bitten by a snake in the outback and is in serious condition, in need of serious medical attention. The kidnapper is not so heartless that he allows her to die and takes her to the hospital, making sure she lives, and staying with her through a plane ride to safety. Through this they discover the situation and arrest him, notifying her parents and having them come to pick her up. She then has to go through a lot of sorting in her mind through the rest of the novel, where she is informed of the idea of the Stockholm syndrome, where the person begins associating and eventually loving their kidnappers. She is being told by everyone else that what she is feeling for this person is wrong. It takes a while for this message to sink in, and it eventually does, but Gemma never truly hates Ty, her kidnapper. Some part of her wishes him well, and wants him to grow and live a normal happy life, when he does get out of prison for the crime of kidnapping her.
Eventually she gets bitten by a snake in the outback and is in serious condition, in need of serious medical attention. The kidnapper is not so heartless that he allows her to die and takes her to the hospital, making sure she lives, and staying with her through a plane ride to safety. Through this they discover the situation and arrest him, notifying her parents and having them come to pick her up. She then has to go through a lot of sorting in her mind through the rest of the novel, where she is informed of the idea of the Stockholm syndrome, where the person begins associating and eventually loving their kidnappers. She is being told by everyone else that what she is feeling for this person is wrong. It takes a while for this message to sink in, and it eventually does, but Gemma never truly hates Ty, her kidnapper. Some part of her wishes him well, and wants him to grow and live a normal happy life, when he does get out of prison for the crime of kidnapping her.
Critical Review - A fascinating tale, told in first person, as it is Gemma's letter to the kidnapper. Of course no one really would want her to write this letter to him, but her therapist felt like she would improve if she could write out her experiences. By doing so, the readers get a good look into the mind of someone who is kidnapped. They can see how a person can be transformed from desperation to hatred, from hatred to understanding, from understanding to appreciation, and from appreciation to a kind of love. We see how the manipulations and lies slowly sink in to the character of Gemma, and before long she begins to appreciate and love this man, loving a part of what he has done for her. And by the end, before Ty is arrested, she wants Ty with her at all times.
I also think there is quite a beauty to the ending of the novel, which spends time showing Gemma with her conflicting emotions about the whole issue. It also shows her growth in a large way about her surroundings, an an understanding and appreciation for her parents. And I believe there is a beauty that Gemma can see in people through her experience that no one else can. This is not to say that she negates the wrong done by her kidnapper, but can appreciate the complexities of the human soul. I believe it is this wonderful complexity that makes the work done by Lucy Christopher an amazing tale, well worth reading.
I also think there is quite a beauty to the ending of the novel, which spends time showing Gemma with her conflicting emotions about the whole issue. It also shows her growth in a large way about her surroundings, an an understanding and appreciation for her parents. And I believe there is a beauty that Gemma can see in people through her experience that no one else can. This is not to say that she negates the wrong done by her kidnapper, but can appreciate the complexities of the human soul. I believe it is this wonderful complexity that makes the work done by Lucy Christopher an amazing tale, well worth reading.
Reader's Annotation- Gemma is kidnapped from an airport, and drug off to the vast area of the Australian outback. There is no one around for miles. Despite this kidnapping, she begins to develop a love for her kidnapper. Is this really love, or merely Stockholm syndrome?
About the Author- Lucy Christopher was born and raised in Wales, and moved to Australia when she was nine years old. It was a far away place for her where she was alone a great deal and did not understand what was around her, having to adjust to a whole new lifestyle. She would eventually grow to love it and stay there until she was working on a MA in creative writing.
At 22 she would go back to the UK in Bath to get her masters degree. She had several miss starts in various careers but had decided writing is where she wanted to be. Stolen ended up being her first published novel, written while she was in her masters program. While she has had no direct experience with kidnapping, Christopher discusses the fact that moving to Australia to nine was a kind of kidnapping for her in that it stole her away from everything that was familiar and forced her into a new place that she didn't understand that was wild and untamed.
At 22 she would go back to the UK in Bath to get her masters degree. She had several miss starts in various careers but had decided writing is where she wanted to be. Stolen ended up being her first published novel, written while she was in her masters program. While she has had no direct experience with kidnapping, Christopher discusses the fact that moving to Australia to nine was a kind of kidnapping for her in that it stole her away from everything that was familiar and forced her into a new place that she didn't understand that was wild and untamed.
Genre- Drama
Curriculum Ties - Discuss the novel as a letter. How effective is it? - Literature
Discuss the nature of Stockholm syndrome. Compare it to other famous cases such as Patty Hurst. - History
Discuss the nature of Stockholm syndrome. Compare it to other famous cases such as Patty Hurst. - History
Booktalking Ideas - Have them discuss why someone would want to write a letter to a kidnapper? What would the thinking behind the letter be? Why is much of the letter a jumbled confusion of emotions coming from Gemma's character?
Reading Level/Interest Age - Grade 10+
Challenge Issues - None
Why Included - The story seemed fascinating and intense for a book that was directed for teens.
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