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Monday, June 22, 2020

Review - Jane Anonymous by Laurie Faria Stolarz





Title: Jane Anonymous
Author: Laurie Faria Stolarz
Pages: 310
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Release Date: 7th January 2020


Blurb from Goodreads:

Seven months.

That’s how long I was kept captive. 
 
Locked in a room with a bed, refrigerator, and adjoining bathroom, I was instructed to eat, bathe, and behave. I received meals, laundered clothes, and toiletries through a cat door, never knowing if it was day or night. The last time I saw the face of my abductor was when he dragged me fighting from the trunk of his car. My only solace was Mason—one of the other kidnapped teens—and our pact to one day escape together. But when that day finally came, I had to leave him behind.

Now that I’m home, my parents and friends want everything to be like it was before I left. But they don’t understand that dining out and shopping trips can’t heal what’s broken inside me. I barely leave my bedroom. Therapists are clueless and condescending. So I start my own form of therapy—but writing about my experience awakens uncomfortable memories, ones that should’ve stayed buried. 

When I ask the detectives assigned to my case about Mason, I get an answer I don’t believe—that there were no traces of any other kidnapped kids. But I distinctly remember the screams, holding hands with Mason through a hole in my wall, and sharing a chocolate bar. I don’t believe he wasn’t really there and I’m determined to find him. How far will I have to go to uncover the truth of what happened—and will it break me forever?



Book Links:









My Review:

*I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley*






Jane Anonymous, a seventeen-year-old young woman, was kidnapped and kept locked up for seven months.

Jane's life became limited to two rooms and she had to rely on her kidnapper for food, clothes, and other items that were delivered through a flap in the door.

Jane would have gone crazy if not for Mason, one of the kidnapper's other victims. Jane and Mason kept each other going and planned to escape together. But when Jane did escape, she had to do so without Mason.

Now back home, Jane struggles with everyday life and doesn't believe the detectives assigned to her case who tell her that there are no signs of other kidnapped people at the crime scene except for her.

Jane is determined to find Mason so they can be reunited, but can she trust her memories of what happened?

Can Jane go back to the girl she used to be?




Jane Anonymous is told in chapters set in the past and in the present. It was interesting to read the chapters set in the past knowing that Jane does escape and that she is questioning what happened when in the present.

I really sympathised with Jane and was rooting for her to escape and find a way to heal or talk to someone about what happened to her. I just wanted to reach into the book, give her a hug and tell her that everything would be all right in the end.

The plot was interesting and held my attention, but I wasn't gripped or thinking about the book when I wasn't reading it.

The writing style was easy to follow and I ended up reading this very quickly.

I felt that the author handled the dark subjects in the book well.




Overall, this was an enjoyable read.





 


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