Hidden Child

by Anne Cassidy

Thief. Liar. Fake? Lou and her mum Anna are best friends. It's always just been the two of them, so Lou doesn't mind that Anna steals things - well not much, anyway. But what if Anna is a liar as well as a thief? What if she's a real fake?

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Abuse, Realistic Fiction

176 pages, Paperback

First published March 21, 1997

Reviews

[Rants and Bants · Rating 2 out of 5]

This seemed like a promising book, a bit like The Face on the Milk Carton it seemed from the description, but…it went south pretty fast. Two problems: One, the blurb is a complete lie. It’s not about what you think it is. Turns out, Lou was never actually kidnapped, she’s been right where she belongs this entire time. The whole thing turns out to be a giant “Gotcha”. I didn’t like it. Made the story entirely pointless.

Two, it mostly seemed like a sexist, male-bashing book. Aside from the fact that all the bad guys are men, essentially (and Anna turns out to be a good guy who didn’t kidnap anyone AFTER all, oh how convenient), they actually have commentary in here that subtly bashes men as well. All the men in here, with the exception of like one that we see for two seconds, are either abusers, stalkers, or cheaters. The main male character ends up being a cheating player scumbag. NONE of the female characters are bad or even flawed in any real way, not even Anna, despite her lying to Lou about her father AND not allowing her to keep contact with her friends. And SJWs want to sit around all the time and bitch about minority characters being demonized, female characters, etc. And the icing on the cake—Anna makes a comment where she says, “They all start out nice at first, then they go bad”, or some shit like that, in regards to men. First off, that makes you a disgusting sexist bitch. Secondly, do you feel that way about TOMMY, the little boy of your best friend, Anna? Fuck off. Bye.

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was about a girl 'Lou', who lived with her mum Anna, and began to suspect that things weren't right. Mainly she began to wonder if she was really Anna's daughter, or if Anna had stolen her. I really did wonder the same thing when Lou discovered that her father's picture was a picture from a magazine, not a real picture, but it did make sense when the truth came out. Lou's father was abusive and so they keep moving so that he doesn't find them. Anna also got involved in a lesbian relationship during the book, which Lou found a little embarrassing.

[Ruzaini Amiraa Roslan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story and very suitable for teenagers. Love the themes and hidden messages hinting the twist at the end.

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly enjoyable. A good mystery but I found the ending to be a little lacking.

[MK · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was a fair amount of mystery in here.

[Fay Invy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although an interesting read, "The Hidden Child" left much to be desired and an odd feeling of dissatisfaction and disappointment with the reader. Anna and Lou are two very complex and thought provoking characters who raised some intriguing questions, many of these, I felt, were not answered very well. Although I can find many ways in which to complain about this book, I cannot fault the plot. I love Anne Cassidy's ability to create a fascinating storyline. Issues brought up were hard hitting, and it was definitely a great idea to reveal the secrets behind Anna and Lou's life at the end of the book, which avoided a 'filler ending.'
Overall, I wasn't fond of this book and I am not likely to read it again, nor am I likely to recommend it to others, however I really enjoyed the plot of the book.

[Jeff Tonks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of threads to this interesting, but standard, short story from Anne Cassidy. All her books are about teenage angst and first love but this story included heavier themes of domestic abuse, PTSD and loneliness.
The storyline with the women's hostel was very good and the story overall was well paced but a couple of things didn't quite work and so ultimately the outcome was predictable, even the characters Anna's new love.

[Carys Gidlow · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not sure whether i like this book or not... it is O.K it is a bit confusing all the way through. I do not normally read this type of book but it was quite nice for a change.
It was about a girl and she didnt know whether her mum was really her mum and she didnt like to talk about it to anyone but she wanted to find out the truth.

[Harriet Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very easy to read and only took me a day! Excellently written with a very good twist. However some bits were too predictable and guessed right at the beginning but were dragged out until the end for you to find out

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read, but a bit dated. I liked the notes of feminism but felt it could have been a little more overt in the issues it raised - sometimes it felt that the author had raised an issue but chickened out of dealing with it fully.

[Cecily Black · Rating 2 out of 5]

Decent book, you think you know what is going on in the book before the author even explains anything but eventually there are twists and you are wrong. It was a decent book but over all it wasn't that eventful and I was glad it was a quick read.

[Zoe-Katarina (KattieKay) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a good quick-read, however at times it seemed to try and cover too many topics. The story line itself was good, and if certain passages were editted out it may have been more enjoyable.

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book about a mother who steals and commits crimes, its good but not a recommendation for anybody, tbh.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good story. Didn't see it ending like it did, kept surprising me untill the end.

[Safirah Tai · Rating 5 out of 5]

One awesome book!!

[Jenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a very good book. A short read I finished it in one day. I really liked it.

I recommend it to people.

[Apple · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book itself wasn't thick, the story and plot was interesting and quite mysterious. I would rate it around 3.5 stars.

[Keisya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay...the ending was unpredictable. What happened to Charlie?