Mandafofanda Reads Lots

The awkward moment when I put a kidnapping story in my "travel-i-want" shelf...

But, god, those descriptions of a desolate Australian landscape far from the noise and chaos of society and surrounded by the serenity of the wilderness are so gorgeous that it did make me wish I was there.

Which is supremely messed up, I know.

[b:Stolen: A Letter to My Captor|6408862|Stolen A Letter to My Captor|Lucy Christopher|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1311064295s/6408862.jpg|6597789] was a lovely surprise and an emotional and captivating read.

What I expected from this book prior to reading:
- a romantic take on kidnapping
- a naive, innocent girl
- some Stockholm Syndrome
the first two points above contributing to my skepticism of liking this book.

What I got:
- beautiful writing
- a very real and relatable girl
- a boy that I empathized with more than I hated
- a hint of "romance" I have mixed feelings for
- a perfect ending

This book isn't one romanticizing kidnapping. It's about a girl's emotional struggle with surviving her circumstances. It's about the cruelties and harshness of urban living. It's about beauty in a rugged terrain. It's about the blurred line between empathizing (what she sees) and being manipulated (what others see). This book screws with your head because you go in thinking something then come out questioning what is right. And that's why I love it.