Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott

This book is not for the faint hearted. It is a short but very powerful read. The heroine of the story was kidnapped when she was ten years old by Ray, a pedophile, who renamed her Alice. For five years, Alice has lived through repeated rape and servitude. Now, Alice is fifteen- the age at which she expected Ray to kill her and find another young girl to kidnap. Alice had even been looking forward to turning fifteen because of this. However, Ray is keeping her. Alice will discover that Ray has more plans for her that will make her wish even harder for death to come.

This story deals with some very difficult issues. What would you do if you were kidnapped and your captor told you he would kill your family if you ever told anyone or ran away? Would you wish for your death or even for someone else to take your place if it meant your freedom? The descriptions of rape are not graphic, but leave little to the imagination and occur throughout the book. As a matter of fact, Scott slaps you within the first three pages with her blunt storytelling. It is a fast read with very short chapters that switch between the present and Alice's explanation of how she was kidnapped and her past with Ray. I don't know whether to recommend this book or not. It will grip you from the beginning to the end (I read it in one sitting), but you may wish you had not read it. If you do read it, you will definitely be left with a lot to think about.

Book; age 14+; ISBN 9781416960591; New York: Simon Pulse, 2008