"I hadn't been ruined by the world yet. I was pure. Untouched....And I was all his. A girl who would never say no. I was the girl who obeyed his every request. I was his perfect, obedient baby doll."
Lily Riser and her identical twin sister, Abby, are inseparable. Even when they argue, which is quite often, they always make up. Until the day Lily doesn't come home from school. Abducted and held captive for eight years, Lily finally manages to escape her kidnapper and return home. Only she's not the same. She has a six-year-old daughter named Sky now; she also has scars and memories no young woman should have. But she's home with her mother. And with Abby.... Only they're not the same either.
Hollie Overton's Baby Doll has a lot of similarities to Emma Donoghue's Room, but the twin connection between Lily and Abby puts a unique spin on an otherwise familiar premise. The narration alternates between Lily, Abby, their mother, and Lily's abductor, but I actually didn't mind the alternating view points. In fact, the shorter chapters help keep the story moving at a pretty fast pace. Lily was my favorite character, and the majority of this book is her story. But how her abduction affected her twin sister adds an interesting layer. Some of Overton's choices at the end bugged me a little bit, but not enough to ruin the rest of the book. Overall, I enjoyed this psychological suspense novel; it's compelling without being dark or graphic, and it focuses on the characters and their efforts to keep moving forward with their lives rather than on what Lily endured at the hands of her captor, which I appreciated. I hope Overton writes many more.
Happy Reading!
This one sounds good. I have it on my kindle, but I haven't had the chance to read it just yet. After reading your post, I think I need to bump it up my TBR list. So glad you posted about it :)
ReplyDeleteIt won't take you long to read this one; the story really does move pretty quickly. And it never bogs down in too much detail, so yeah, give it a read and let me know what you think! :)
DeleteIt took me years to get up the courage to read Room. Thanks for pointing out that the books' emphasis is more on moving forward than what happened in the past. That is helpful to me in deciding whether or not to try something.
ReplyDeleteYeah, when a book is too graphic and dark I'd rather not read it myself; but while Overton hints at what happened to Lily, she never goes into great detail. So I think you'd be safe giving this one a read if the plot and characters interest you. This one won't give you nightmares.
DeleteI think I have this one on my kindle. I need to get to it.
ReplyDeleteLet me know what you think of it!
DeleteI still haven't read Room; and this one sounds like another intriguing read. Will see if my library have it.
ReplyDeleteHopefully it does. If not...check out the movie version of Room. They did a really good job of it, I thought.
DeleteI haven't read Room yet either. I'm glad you mention that Overton doesn't include graphic details. Hints are usually more than enough and often more effective.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciated that she only hinted at what Lily had gone through and didn't feel a need to go into every graphic detail. I can do without that in my life. :)
DeleteI haven't read Room yet either nor seen the film but the twin angle on this one has me interested.
ReplyDeleteThe twin angle does put a different spin on this story...especially getting to see Abby's side of things. (And I really liked the movie version of Room...if you don't want to read the book.) :)
DeleteSounds like an interesting twist on a story that is, unfortunately, part of our "current events" in this world! Thanks for the review.
ReplyDeleteIt is sad that events like this aren't just fictionalized plots. Makes me wish we lived in a better world than we do.
DeleteI have such a hard time with books like this, even when they aren't graphic. There's something about the girl-or-woman-abducted-and-held-captive-for-years scenario that I find really disturbing. Well, obviously, it IS disturbing and should be -- but what I mean is, I usually find it too uncomfortable to read about. Which means, I guess, that I miss out on some very good books.
ReplyDeleteNot necessarily. This is a good book, but I wouldn't say you're missing out on anything by not reading it. It's just not your cup of tea. :)
DeleteI find abduction books fascinating. Not sure why as it's a very disturbing/morbid/sad subject. I appreciate that this one isn't dark or graphic. I'll definitely have to check it out.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny what kinds of books we're drawn to as readers, isn't it? :)
DeleteI am curious about this one. I have read mixed reviews, but it does interest me.
ReplyDeleteIt's a pretty decent read. I had a few issues with some of her choices at the end, but I did like how she told the story and I really liked Lily. And it reads fast. So I'd say it's worth a weekend. :)
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