Review of Girl, Stolen by April Henry

Sixteen-year-old Cheyenne Wilder is the victim of a carjacking-turned-kidnapping. Not only is Cheyenne ill with pneumonia, but she is blind as well. Once her captors realize that Cheyenne is the daughter of a wealthy corporate executive, the botched carjacking turns into a request for ransom. But will her kidnappers let her go once her father ponies up the money? Girl, Stolen is a fast-paced thriller that will keep you turning the pages to find out what happens next.

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Image of Girl, Stolen. [Cover image of Girl, Stolen]. Retrieved from https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/girl-stolen-april-henry/1100191585#/

Evaluation

One of the strengths of Girl, Stolen is the fast-paced plot. From the very first page of the story, the thrill-ride begins: “It was a thousand little things that told Cheyenne something was wrong” (Henry, 2010, p. 1). When the car door opens, Cheyenne realizes it’s not her stepmom climbing back in, and that she is in deep trouble. Because she is blind, she cannot see her kidnapper or where the car is going, and escape is unlikely. Cheyenne, though, has already dealt with more trauma than any teen should have to face and is not one to give up easily. When her captors tie her up in a bedroom, she breaks a glass to use as a weapon, attempts to escape more than once and must fend off men who try to hurt her. At the same time, the abductor, Griffin, clearly struggles with the crime he has committed and must figure out where his loyalties lie. Should he help his dad, who runs a chop shop, or can he relate enough with Cheyenne to help her escape? The fast-paced plot engages the reader from start to finish.

Both Cheyenne and Griffin are fully developed characters who are more alike than they realize. Cheyenne is blind, and has been since an accident three years before that killed her mother. She is incredibly resourceful and brave, but we truly get a sense of what her life has been like since the accident: “As a blind person, Cheyenne had to interpret every shred of information she could get from her other senses” (Henry, 2010, p. 97). She doesn’t have a choice, but the fact that she is tuned in to her other senses helps her navigate as a captive. Griffin, on the other hand, is portrayed as a lost teen. Like Cheyenne, he is motherless, but unlike Cheyenne, who has a supportive family, Griffin is left with an abusive, law-breaking father. A high-school dropout who can’t read, Griffin knows his father’s chop shop “business” is illegal, but that doesn’t stop him from feeling “a strange sense of pride as he had described the various tricks they used to turn something illegal into something legal” (Henry, 2010, p. 80). Though he knows what stealing cars is wrong, he is oddly proud that he can add value and help his father’s business. When Griffin meets Cheyenne, he starts to see things in a new perspective – the dirty house, his father’s rough associates, and the terrifying thought that his own father might not keep his word and set Cheyenne free when he receives the ransom money. Griffin is torn and has to figure out where his loyalties lie. The reader can relate to and sympathize with both Cheyenne and Griffin.

Girl, Stolen is told in the third person, but the novel’s chapters alternate between two perspectives, that of Cheyenne, the girl who has been kidnapped, and Griffin, the kidnapper. This shifting perspective lets the reader understand both characters. From Cheyenne, we get her sense of fear, her resourcefulness, and her feelings of desperation. From Griffin, we understand that he is torn and struggling with what to do: “Was he one of the bad guys? Griffin didn’t know anymore” (Henry, 2010, p. 151). Griffin’s perspective has shifted now that he has met Cheyenne. At times, the two characters don’t communicate, and only the reader understands that they are at cross-purposes. The dual perspectives allow the reader to relate to both kidnapper and victim and understand their motives, which increases the suspense.

Response

Girl, Stolen takes place is a world very different from mine. I don’t know anything about being blind or living with an abusive father who runs an illegal business, but what resonated with me the most was the idea that how we raise our children has a profound impact on who they become. Griffin is still fairly young, but he is already proud of carjacking cars and helping with his dad’s chop shop. Though he fears his abusive father, this is the only life he knows and, if left unchecked, he will become an abuser himself. Cheyenne, on the other hand, is told by her stepmom that she needs to stop feeling sorry for herself and embrace her new reality: “You can’t change it, so you have to deal with it… You can make a life. And it can be a good one” (Henry, 2010, p. 94). As parents, we have a tremendous impact on our children’s lives. In addition, I have a newfound appreciation for blind people and how sighted people treat them differently after reading Girl, Stolen. Just because someone is blind does not mean they are incapable; it simply means they can’t see. Overall, I really enjoyed the novel and would recommend it to students aged 13 and up who enjoy a well-paced and well-plotted thriller.

Conclusion

Girl, Stolen is a well-written, fast-paced thriller that will keep readers interested and engaged. The plot is well-developed and readers will turn the pages to figure out what happens next. Cheyenne and Griffin are sympathetic, likeable characters and the dual-perspective story line will hook readers from the start. I thoroughly enjoyed the novel and couldn’t put it down. This is an excellent choice for students (13 and up) and adults who enjoy thrillers. 4 stars.

Citations

[Cover image of Girl, Stolen]. Retrieved from https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/girl-stolen-april-henry/1100191585#/

Henry, A. (2010). Girl, stolen. New York, NY: Square Fish.