Jane Anonymous by Laurie Faria Stolarz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Jane Anonymous is your run of the mill, 17-year old girl, living in a suburban town, New England state.
That is until she gets abducted while out running an early morning errand. She remains in captivity for 7-months. Locked in a room. Alone.
This is her story, following ‘then’ and ‘now’ timelines until ‘then’ and ‘now’ merge. The narrative itself is more ‘stream of consciousness’ then I tend to enjoy but I’ll tell you what, in this case, it didn’t bother me at all.
I actually feel that it was a really smart choice by the author, as it made the conveyance of this wild tale seem more real. Like a friend was recounting a horrific thing that had happened to them.
When I say ‘horrific thing’, I mean it. This book is not for the sensitive. The violence perpetrated against Jane, being stripped of her freedom and her sense of safety, amongst other traumas, was hard to read.
Her efforts toward recovery were equally heavy and disturbing. In some ways, I think that was even more difficult to read, her struggles to try to adapt back to the life she had before.
Severe trauma, feeling broken and the pathways to recovery are all covered within these pages. I think if this book is read at the right time, by the right person, it could really mean a lot to them and become a favorite.
Hard-hitting the entire way through, if you can stomach it, I think the message of hope that ultimately shines through is worth the effort.
It was that way for me, at least. Although my heart was a little battered and bruised at the end, it was worth it.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Wednesday Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I appreciate it!