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Kimberly Leamy is a photography teacher in Melbourne, Australia. Twenty-eight years earlier, Sammy Went, a two-year old girl vanished from her home in Manson, Kentucky. An American accountant who contacts Kim is convinced she was that child, kidnapped just after her birthday. She cannot believe the woman who raised her, a loving social worker who died of cancer four years ago, crossed international lines to steal a toddler. On April 3rd, 1990, Jack and Molly Went's daughter Sammy disappeared from the inside their Kentucky home. Already estranged since the girl's birth, the couple drifted further apart as time passed. Jack did his best to raise and protect his other daughter and son while Molly found solace in her faith. The Church of the Light Within, a Pentecostal fundamentalist group who handle poisonous snakes as part of their worship, provided that faith. Without Sammy, the Wents eventually fell apart. Now, with proof that she and Sammy are in fact the same person, Kim travels to America to reunite with a family she never knew she had. And to solve the mystery of her abduction, a mystery that will take her deep into the dark heart of religious fanaticism where she must fight for her life against those determined to save her soul. --… (more)
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I have to say that
I found the people and the places rather bland - I couldn't tell the difference between scenes set in Australia and scenes set in Kentucky. They all speak the same language - there's no sense of idiomatic inconsistencies. Although many characters mention that they like Kim's accent, she never notices theirs - or much else that is different about America. Kim's accent appears to be the only point of differentiation. Driving on the other side of the road? Not worth a mention. 'larger serving sizes' - yes, but most Australian who've been there would spell this out as in OMG they gave me a steak the size of the plate and massed eight potatoes on top. Anyway, small quibbles.
I did pull up short, though, at the American woman S&R diver who used the phrase 'like trying to find a hymen in a whorehouse' in 1990. Really? That's just horrible. What, was she trying to be one of the 'boys'? Or is that the way women in 1990 Kentucky spoke? Whatever happened to 'needle in a haystack'. Still, that might be a genre thing - this quick thriller style seems to revel in short, sharp, shock-effect language.
White is a writer of great talent and promise. I will definitely read his next, which I understand is in the pipeline.
Kim travels from Australia to America to meet the family she never knew she had. But the mystery of that kidnapping may put her in unexpected danger.
This quick-read story offers an interesting premise as it ponders the consequences of learning that your entire life has been a lie. How could the loving parent who raised you actually be responsible for kidnapping you, for stealing you away from your real family? And how do you reconcile the life and family you know with the family you’ve just discovered?
Aside from some unnecessary coarse language and a few bewildering, overly-violent scenes, the story unfolds without any real surprises. The characters, excepting one or two stereotypes, are reasonably well-crafted, but readers may find it difficult to establish empathy with them.
Long before its reveal in a last-minute plot twist, astute readers will easily solve the kidnapping mystery, but the straightforward story plays out fairly well.
However, an awkward de rigueur subplot involving a homosexual affair adds nothing to the narrative and detracts from the telling of the larger story. And, from the beginning, the cult subplot [definitely not for the faint of heart] seems to serve only as a thinly-disguised target for the vilification of religion.
Alternating between the present day and the time of Sammy’s kidnapping, the story unfolds as expected but the predictable narrative fails to build suspense, leaving the reader feeling as if it’s all rather pedestrian.
I received an e-copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books and NetGalley.
#TheNowhereChild #NetGalley
However, as she starts to investigate her family, there are too many unanswered questions, so she travels to Kentucky to find answers. This is an exciting novel with lots of twists and unexpected turns until you arrive, breathless, at an incredible climax!
This is Christian White’s debut novel. He says in the author’s notes (I love the author’s notes!) that that he had no real idea of how to write a novel. He had tried and failed before. So, he turned to Stephen King and read his book, On Writing, which is part memoir part how-to-guide which gives you a clear roadmap to turning your idea into a manuscript. It worked extremely well in this case! Looking forward to his next book.
What suffered for me with this
Ended up liking this more than I thought I would when I began reading. It started out rather weakly, but thankfully both the plot became more interesting and the writing stronger. So many themes in this book, which was part of the problem with my perception of what was happening. All these different threads, all in one family, one town, one book? Stretches credibility. The pace after the initial slowness at the start picks up, and by books end, again my opinion, too many things are thrown into the mix. Though if you like a faster paced thriller, with a few likable characters, this one will do.
ARC from Netgalley.
Kim Leamy is approached by someone who has been searching for his lost sister for years. He has scanned thousands of online images looking for
However he tells her that a DNA test he has had taken by a Melbourne lab says there is a 98.5% probability that she is is sister. When she approaches her father it is obvious to Kim that there is some truth in what the American is telling her, that her father knows, and she decides to go to America to find out the truth for herself.
A well constructed interesting story, with good mystery elements.
Since I listened to the audiobook, I also got to hear Katherine Littrell’s smooth narration.
Fantastic story. Recommended to all Gillian Flynn, Ruth Ware, and Mary Kubica fans.
The Nowhere Child by Christian White is an enthralling mystery that is quite clever and unique.
Thirty year old Kimberly "Kim" Leamy lives in Melbourne, AU and teaches photography. Her world is turned upside down after she is approached by an American stranger who tells her she might
Unable to get answers from her stepfather, Dean, Kim hopes that confronting her past in Manson, KY will untangle the truth about her life. Her reception by her birth family is not quite what she expects. Her brother Stuart has never given up hope his sister would be found. Her sister Emma tried to move forward by admitting Sammy is most likely dead. Their mother Molly clings to her faith although the fundamentalist church that is the cornerstone of her religion is no longer the powerhouse it once was. Kim's father, Jack, left town years ago and she is uncertain whether she will meet him. While Kim is not necessarily finding irrefutable proof of how ended up Australia, she does uncover a clue that raises more questions than answers.
Interspersed with the events unfolding in the present are chapters that detail the day of Sammy's kidnapping and the ensuing search for her. The Went family is somewhat fractured with Molly sometimes losing patience with her young daughter. She is deeply religious and clings tightly to the church that Jack has long since abandoned. After Sammy's disappearance, Emma is forced to grow up too soon as she discovers shocking truths about her family. Stuart does not handle the kidnapping well and he reverts to a happier time in his young life. Jack's world begins spinning out his control as he frantically searches for his daughter just as his life begins to implode.
With chapters alternating between Kim's search for answers in the present and the days after her kidnapping in the past, The Nowhere Child is a fast-paced and spellbinding mystery. The characters are interesting and well-developed but not all of them are easy to relate to or like. The plot is well-developed with just enough suspense to keep the pages turning at a blistering pace. With stunning twists and unexpected turns, Christian White brings the novel to a jaw-dropping conclusion. An absolutely brilliant debut that I found impossible to put down and highly recommend to fans of the genre.