Before I dive too far into the review: it tells the true crime story of Sally Horner, an eleven-year old in Camden, New Jersey who was kidnapped by Frank LaSalle—a mechanic who had just gotten out of jail for a previous kidnapping and sex crime charge. Though it does detail real events, the author wrote in her acknowledgements that a lot of the expansions and characters in this novel are fictionalized, and the sentiments are imaginings based off of what she knew of the story.
That being said, this novel tug at my heartstrings like I never expected it too. I picked this up off the shelf on a whim a couple weeks ago, thinking nothing of it, and only even seeing it because the cover caught my eye. But as I fell into the story two days ago, I found myself fascinated.
The plot was dark and disturbing, and at times had me putting down the book so that I could take a breather, calm down, and remind myself that this was all over. But that is the thing; there is little solace to take in reading this story, for it was real. It happened. And it is happening today, in some form, somewhere in the world. That kind of reality to the darkness that is smattered across the pages makes it a difficult, but also compelling read. Rarely do we see authors daring to dive so deep into the psyche of people who have gone through such horrors.
And in her fictionalization, Greenwood built in characters and moments that were almost beautiful, shining stars of happiness to allow Sally, such a young girl, to survive such horrors. For it is logical that for an eleven-year old to come out alive after a two year ordeal filled with unspeakable terrors, there must have been bright moments, figures and images to cling onto that allowed her to see something other than the silky darkness of her situation. And it was these—characters such as Ruth or her teachers—that made this novel not just bearable to read (well, that and the fact that a lot of abuse scenes were written around, dodged or using vague language so we didn't have to fully confront the awful details), but also a fascinating and twistedly beautiful piece of work.
It helps, of course, that Greenwood was able to craft this story with a deft hand, her writing that of an expert as she traverses various viewpoints and situations. She's not flashy with it, drawing up tight connections and details and syntax that make the story ebb and flow at her will rather than drafting long paragraphs stuffed with purple prose. She describes the world in a unique way, weighs in and holds back, and switches perspectives at the perfect time. It is the combination of this, the subtleties in her writing that make it so wonderful, and so fitting to write this novel.
There were moments throughout the book where things felt disjointed or glossed over, days that were written that seemed to perfect and painted Sally as too unbothered to ring true with me, and that presented the only real issue I had with this novel. I worry that it bordered on the edge of romanticizing such a situation, not intentionally but because in an effort to highlight the way people cling onto beauty and light in times of darkness, the darkness began to get edged out of the story. However, these moments were few and far between, and not enough to discount the novel as a successful work.
Despite the dark subject matter and the level of reality to it that makes it feel even more daunting, this novel is, undeniably beautiful. It tells of some of the worst horrors of this world, while still highlighting its beauty. It shows the vileness of humanity, but also the resilience of it.
Greenwood handled the story and subject matter with ease, encompassing exactly what it means to be a writer, hitting the nail right on the head with this one.
Characters: 95%
Plot: 100%
Depth: 100%
Style: 100%
Intrigue: 100%
Overall Rating: A+
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