Coming home from a family trip, thirteen year old Jeff is momentarily alone at a gas station when he is abducted at knife point. His abductor, Ray, returns him homw almost two and a half years alter, leaving Jeff physically and emotionally scarred. How he and his family struggle with the return is the subject of this debut novel published in 1999.
The characterisation is strong, as are the representations of both media interest and the responses of Jeff's peers (particularly his former best friend) and family (mostly his father). However I found myself repeatedly frustrated by the fact that Jeff wasn't seen by a doctor or treated by a therapist, both interventions that would seem fairly self-evident requirements and which would have reduced his distress in the long-term. Although both measures would have altered the direction of the narrative, I think their inclusion could have made for a stronger, more robust novel (giving the protagonist an opportunity to articulate his experience, even in an inarticualte way if that's what Atkins preferred), and no reason was given for their omission. Similarly Jeff is launched back to school with what seems like no preparation of either him or the student body, leading to predictable issues.
That said the novel is not bad, and deals with an important topic that is relatively unaddressed in teen literature. But I was frustrated by how much better I think it could have been, and am interested in seeing what Atrkins has since produced with a little more experience. - Alex
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