Barbara M. reviewed on + 147 more book reviews
Got this book from my local library's "free" cart. Per the summary on the inside of the book jacket, it sounded interesting. Almost immediately the reader knows that Annie, the protagonist, was abducted but reappeared a year later. The narrative is in the first person. The story unfolds when Annie is talking with her therapist. The chapters aren't called chapters but "Session One," "Session Two," etc. The therapist never speaks--the entire book is Annie's monologue about her experience.
As Annie described her first few days with The Freak (her name for the kidnapper), I wasn't sure I wanted to finish the book since it's very dark. But, knowing that Annie somehow got free kept me interested as I wanted to know how that happened.
SPOILERS: Annie escaped after killing The Freak. The way she did so was improbable--The Freak had asked Annie to come outside to help him stack wood that he had cut. He, an ultimate control freak, was not paying attention as she went back and forth stacking wood. She suddenly grabbed the ax, which was behind The Freak, and drove it into the back of his head. Instead of immediately leaving the scene since she was now free, Annie decided she needed to hide The Freak's body.
SPOILER CONTINUED: When Annie found her way to a police station in a very small town, she ended up being interviewed by an officer called in from another jurisdiction. He was her main contact as the investigation continued. One night (I believe it was months after Annie's return) she called him and learned he was out of town (about an hour away) following up on some leads in her case. Annie decided to drive up there (for reasons I don't recall) and spent the night with him and of course, they had sex. I was thoroughly disgusted. It was gratuitous and added nothing to the story. Furthermore, I found it highly unlikely that a police officer who was investigating an abduction case would then have sex with the victim.
SPOILER CONTINUED: There's a second abduction attempt which Annie fights off. Oddly, Annie, who often sleeps in a closet because of her trauma, continues to go jogging by herself. Finally, there's a big twist at the end where we learn that Annie's mother engineered the initial abduction and then the abduction attempt after Annie returned. The rationale for these two incidents was also completely off the wall. END OF SPOILERS
I found this a rather unsatisfying read. I had no empathy/sympathy for Annie. Annie's mother was also very unlikeable. I wouldn't recommend this.
As Annie described her first few days with The Freak (her name for the kidnapper), I wasn't sure I wanted to finish the book since it's very dark. But, knowing that Annie somehow got free kept me interested as I wanted to know how that happened.
SPOILERS: Annie escaped after killing The Freak. The way she did so was improbable--The Freak had asked Annie to come outside to help him stack wood that he had cut. He, an ultimate control freak, was not paying attention as she went back and forth stacking wood. She suddenly grabbed the ax, which was behind The Freak, and drove it into the back of his head. Instead of immediately leaving the scene since she was now free, Annie decided she needed to hide The Freak's body.
SPOILER CONTINUED: When Annie found her way to a police station in a very small town, she ended up being interviewed by an officer called in from another jurisdiction. He was her main contact as the investigation continued. One night (I believe it was months after Annie's return) she called him and learned he was out of town (about an hour away) following up on some leads in her case. Annie decided to drive up there (for reasons I don't recall) and spent the night with him and of course, they had sex. I was thoroughly disgusted. It was gratuitous and added nothing to the story. Furthermore, I found it highly unlikely that a police officer who was investigating an abduction case would then have sex with the victim.
SPOILER CONTINUED: There's a second abduction attempt which Annie fights off. Oddly, Annie, who often sleeps in a closet because of her trauma, continues to go jogging by herself. Finally, there's a big twist at the end where we learn that Annie's mother engineered the initial abduction and then the abduction attempt after Annie returned. The rationale for these two incidents was also completely off the wall. END OF SPOILERS
I found this a rather unsatisfying read. I had no empathy/sympathy for Annie. Annie's mother was also very unlikeable. I wouldn't recommend this.
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