Stolen: A Letter to my Captor by Lucy Christopher review

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.

From Goodreads

Stolen from an airport seems like a headline you would see for a small child, not for a late teenager. Unfortunately for Gemma that is her current reality. While "vacationing" with her parents, Gemma is whisked away by a ruggedly handsome young fellow through deceit & drugs. When she finally comes to, she finds herself locked in a bedroom in the middle of nowhere. And we're not talking "middle of the forest" nowhere, we're talking "in the outback of Australia with nothing but sand dunes & rocks" nowhere. Immediately she begins to freak out about what he might have done to her or might still do to her.

Gemma's not completely stupid; she's seen enough television & movies to know that the bad guy always has a plan for his captive, the police are probably looking for her, & her parents are worried sick. What she didn't know is that her captor has a name, Ty, the police are quickly losing any & all hope on her trail & Ty questions her parents' care. While she continually resents Ty, tries to escape (think outside the box on the word "escape"), she does start to come to terms with her imprisonment. While he is still odd, Ty never tries to hurt her & cares for her to the best of his abilities. He's built the whole set up, just for her.

Such a terrifying & jarring story, Stolen is told from Gemma's point-of-view in the form of a letter to Ty. We see the whole thing through her eyes, including her perception of Ty & his behavior. What I feel is lacking is more of Ty's input. I know it's part of his characterization to be stand-offish & withholding information, but I kind of wish we could have known more about him.

I wouldn't consider this a "must read" but definitely a "should read" because I did enjoy the book. The style lends itself well to the story & I actually found myself being absorbed in it all. Give it a shot if you like a more unsettling story.