Review: Tough story to read on an emotional level, but a good one
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 16, 2012
[This review appears on Andi's Young Adult Books. I received a complimentary ebook in exchange for my honest review.]Sophie's story is a tough one to read. She suffers from what is called "Stockholm Syndrome." Yes, she should love her father, but what he has done to her is unforgivable. She doesn't know any better, though, and is quick to defend him. At the same time, she is torn because she senses something isn't right. She deserves love but is brainwashed to think otherwise. She doesn't understand that people can love her. She doesn't understand what a normal teen's life is like. She has no idea what beauty is. I think one of the most heartwrenching parts is when her cousin finds a self-portrait that Sophie drew. It is all distorted, because the only reflection of herself she has ever seen is the one in the toaster. You just want to reach in and beat the man she calls "Papa." The more you get to know, though, you also start to feel a little sorry for him. It's heartbreaking.Living with her grandparents, it is like the cycle begins all over again, only by different means and from multiple directions. Thank God for her cousin Stephanie, who is the source of truth and light in her life now.Three stories are being told at the same time. One is present-day, told by Sophie in the first person, as she gets used to her new life with her family and away from Papa. A second one is set a few years before, also told by Sophie, about her growing relationship with Damien. The third is told in third-person about a man named Luke and the love of his life, Vee. Their story is also a tragic one. At first, when the story shifts to this first flashback about Luke, you're thrown off for a bit. As the book progresses, you begin to see how the stories eventually merge together.What is frightening about this story is how plausible it could be. Think of the high profile kidnapping cases we have seen over the last several years. It doesn't even have to be a kidnapping case for some girls to be abused in this way. It's really sad, and unfortunately, that is what makes it so intriguing to read. I felt protective of Sophie, just like I would for any of my own "kids."