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Where You Can Find Me
A searing exploration of a family's struggle to heal in the wake of unthinkable tragedy
A week after his eleventh birthday, Caleb Vincent vanishes with hardly a trace. After a three-year search, he is found living a seemingly normal life under a new name with a man he calls his father.
While outwardly stunned with joy at his safe recovery, Caleb's parents and sister are privately scrambling to gather together the pieces of a shattered family. To escape the relentless media attention surrounding her son’s return, Caleb's mother, Marlene, decides to flee the country and seek refuge in Costa Rica with Caleb and his younger sister, against her estranged husband's wishes. There Marlene forms a makeshift household with her husband’s expat mother and his charming, aimless older brother, all residing in a broken-down hotel perched at the blustery apex of the continental divide. In the clouds of their new home, the mystery of Caleb's time gone unfolds while new dangers threaten to pull him back toward his former life.
Where You Can Find Me, a darkly incandescent novel that progresses with page-turning suspense, is sure to establish award-winning author Sheri Joseph as a household name.
A week after his eleventh birthday, Caleb Vincent vanishes with hardly a trace. After a three-year search, he is found living a seemingly normal life under a new name with a man he calls his father.
While outwardly stunned with joy at his safe recovery, Caleb's parents and sister are privately scrambling to gather together the pieces of a shattered family. To escape the relentless media attention surrounding her son’s return, Caleb's mother, Marlene, decides to flee the country and seek refuge in Costa Rica with Caleb and his younger sister, against her estranged husband's wishes. There Marlene forms a makeshift household with her husband’s expat mother and his charming, aimless older brother, all residing in a broken-down hotel perched at the blustery apex of the continental divide. In the clouds of their new home, the mystery of Caleb's time gone unfolds while new dangers threaten to pull him back toward his former life.
Where You Can Find Me, a darkly incandescent novel that progresses with page-turning suspense, is sure to establish award-winning author Sheri Joseph as a household name.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published April 16, 2013
15 people are currently reading
1176 people want to read
About the author
Sheri Joseph
7 books32 followersSheri Joseph’s fourth book, ANGELS AT THE GATE, has just been released. A literary novel with elements of mystery and thriller, ANGELS AT THE GATE follows the story of Leah, a student at a small, remote university in the late 1980s who becomes fixated on the unexplained death of a classmate.
Sheri Joseph is the author of three previous books of fiction. Her novel WHERE YOU CAN FIND ME was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship. STRAY, another novel, won the Grub Street National Book Prize. BEAR ME SAFELY OVER, a cycle of stories, was a Book Sense 76 selection in both hardcover and paperback.
A resident of Atlanta, she teaches in the creative writing program at Georgia State University.
Connect via her author page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sheri-... or on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sherijos/ or check out her website: www.sherijoseph.com
Sheri Joseph is the author of three previous books of fiction. Her novel WHERE YOU CAN FIND ME was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship. STRAY, another novel, won the Grub Street National Book Prize. BEAR ME SAFELY OVER, a cycle of stories, was a Book Sense 76 selection in both hardcover and paperback.
A resident of Atlanta, she teaches in the creative writing program at Georgia State University.
Connect via her author page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sheri-... or on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sherijos/ or check out her website: www.sherijoseph.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 131 reviews
May 18, 2013
In one scene of Sheri Joseph’s latest novel, Lark follows her older brother Caleb along a path in the Cloud Forest of Costa Rica. Caleb has recently returned from what Lark thinks of as the Gone, abducted three years ago by a pedophile ring and then, against all possible odds, having been reunited with his family. Now, although he is only a short distance ahead of her, the mists hang so heavy between them, that sometimes he is a milky ghost and sometimes he disappears from view altogether.
This is a beautiful book. In some ways it reminds me of certain Joyce Carol Oates stories that study the effects of violent crime on family dynamics. In this case, Caleb’s return almost immediately sunders his family, and his mother Marlene spends most of the novel trying to bridge the emotional divide separating her from the son she no longer knows. Caleb, indeed, barely knows himself; he still thinks of himself as “Nicky,” the alter ego given him by the man who rescued him from his first abductors and became his “father” rather than returning him to his family.
Other reviews refer to this book as a “thriller,” which seems an odd misnomer to me, although it does have some of the pleasing tropes of traditional crime fiction, including a bit of good old-fashioned code cracking – but it’s bound to discomfort readers who expect a more facile treatment of difficult subject matter. In particular is the loyalty and even love Caleb still feels for Jolly – what a shudder that clown-like name provokes! – the man he still views as, and who in many ways was, his savior. Joseph’s nuanced writing will not let us dismiss this as Helsinki Syndrome and thereby put it away in a convenient box and forget about it, but forces us to confront our understanding of love, for as much as we don’t want to admit it, we have to consider the disturbing idea that Jolly also loves Caleb.
This is why I think the designation thriller is mistaken. A thriller offers a vicarious experience of an extreme situation that, thankfully, most of us will never face, whereas Joseph retrieves her characters from the Gone in order to have them face what is true for all of us anyway, but which is too disturbing to dwell on except in flashes of insight or while under the spell of a masterful author: that just because a person is familiar does not make him any less oa mystery, just that the mystery itself becomes familiar; that we do not know even ourselves; and that our world is bounded by ghosts and shadows.
We all live in the Cloud Forest.
This is a beautiful book. In some ways it reminds me of certain Joyce Carol Oates stories that study the effects of violent crime on family dynamics. In this case, Caleb’s return almost immediately sunders his family, and his mother Marlene spends most of the novel trying to bridge the emotional divide separating her from the son she no longer knows. Caleb, indeed, barely knows himself; he still thinks of himself as “Nicky,” the alter ego given him by the man who rescued him from his first abductors and became his “father” rather than returning him to his family.
Other reviews refer to this book as a “thriller,” which seems an odd misnomer to me, although it does have some of the pleasing tropes of traditional crime fiction, including a bit of good old-fashioned code cracking – but it’s bound to discomfort readers who expect a more facile treatment of difficult subject matter. In particular is the loyalty and even love Caleb still feels for Jolly – what a shudder that clown-like name provokes! – the man he still views as, and who in many ways was, his savior. Joseph’s nuanced writing will not let us dismiss this as Helsinki Syndrome and thereby put it away in a convenient box and forget about it, but forces us to confront our understanding of love, for as much as we don’t want to admit it, we have to consider the disturbing idea that Jolly also loves Caleb.
This is why I think the designation thriller is mistaken. A thriller offers a vicarious experience of an extreme situation that, thankfully, most of us will never face, whereas Joseph retrieves her characters from the Gone in order to have them face what is true for all of us anyway, but which is too disturbing to dwell on except in flashes of insight or while under the spell of a masterful author: that just because a person is familiar does not make him any less oa mystery, just that the mystery itself becomes familiar; that we do not know even ourselves; and that our world is bounded by ghosts and shadows.
We all live in the Cloud Forest.
May 4, 2013
Where You Can Find Me by Sheri Joseph is a St. Martin's publication. This is a digital ARC. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
This is not the type of book I typically read. After reading some of the reviews, I didn't know if I could read it. The subject matter is very, very, very difficult.
When a child goes missing, all of us feel for the parents and maybe hug our own children a little longer for awhile. But, after awhile the child becomes "just another missing kid". The media attention goes away and we all move on with our lives. But, what happens to the parents of a missing child once the investigation stalls? This story explores a little bit of that angle, but has the positive aspect of having the child returned home after a three year absence.
Caleb was eleven when he was abducted. He was missing for three years. Now he is home and his family is trying to adjust to this new development. Naturally, this is not a happily ever after situation.
Marlene, Caleb's mother, is an emotionally immature woman, but despite her issues, she made her entire life about finding her son and bringing him home. Now that that has happened, she doesn't know how to stop looking for him.
Jeff, Caleb's father, wants Caleb to be the same boy he was before the abduction. He is also dealing with the lack of tenacity his wife had while Caleb was missing. Jeff felt like the best thing for everyone was to believe Caleb was gone for good, probably dead. But, Marlene would not give up on her child. So, now that Caleb is back, Jeff is sort of left out of the healing process.
Lark, is Caleb's younger sister. She is a positive girl. She is able to adjust to whatever life throws at her. But, she suffers in silence mostly. She was closest to her father, but wants to have a relationship with Caleb again.
Once Caleb is found the media once again swarms. He is locked up in his home with no chance of going to school or resuming a "normal" life. So, his mother decided they would move to Costa Rica where her mother in law has invested in an old hotel.
The bulk of the story takes place here as Caleb struggles to find out who he is. Is he Caleb, or does his alter ego- Nicky- the name he used when he was "gone", have the stronger hold on him?
He struggles with letting go of the bond that he still feels for the man who saved him from a worse situation, making him feel grateful even.
He is also haunted by others he encountered while he was "gone".
This book is not one of those books you will want to read again and again. You will never pull it out and say this is a favorite book. It's a one and done type of book.
I think it was a real look at the damage this type of crime does to the entire family. The wounds that never heal, the strength we find we have even through our weaknesses, and how we sometimes have to forget about the path we started on and go down the path we find ourselves on and do the best we can.
Sometimes, no doubt, you will find yourself judging Marlene and the decisions she makes. She isn't the perfect mother by any means. But, she is human. She makes mistakes, puts her own needs first at times, forgets her daughter, is unsure of herself and second guesses decisions a lot. But, really, there isn't a manual for these situations. Her husband, in my opinion, was basically useless to her. She was on her own except for her FBI friend, but even he begins to distance himself once other cases begin to take up his time.
Lowell, is not the best substitution for a father. But, he is there and Caleb seems to respond to him far better than his own father.
The struggles Caleb goes through though are the most heart wrenching. Your heart just breaks for him.
The ending holds out hope for Caleb that he will find himself and will have some peace at last. No, it's not perfect, but Marlene had it right I think. Normal was never going to be a possibility again. To accept that, showed a perception most of us wouldn't be able to accept.
I must admit that I struggled through this one. I didn't have that anticipation I normally do when I get ready to sit down to read. In fact, I heaved a sigh of relief when the book was finished.
This is not the type of book I am drawn to in most cases and I am in no hurry to ever jump back into this type of storyline.
But, the book was well written and once I did settle in to read, I found myself absorbed in the marital dramas and the adventures the kids were involved in.
I do recommend this book, if you are strong enough to get through the horror Caleb went through and psychological torment he was still dealing with. This is a fascinating study in what could be an all to real scenario for some.
You would hope and pray for the return of a missing child, but for this family the drama was just beginning.
Overall this one gets an A.
This is not the type of book I typically read. After reading some of the reviews, I didn't know if I could read it. The subject matter is very, very, very difficult.
When a child goes missing, all of us feel for the parents and maybe hug our own children a little longer for awhile. But, after awhile the child becomes "just another missing kid". The media attention goes away and we all move on with our lives. But, what happens to the parents of a missing child once the investigation stalls? This story explores a little bit of that angle, but has the positive aspect of having the child returned home after a three year absence.
Caleb was eleven when he was abducted. He was missing for three years. Now he is home and his family is trying to adjust to this new development. Naturally, this is not a happily ever after situation.
Marlene, Caleb's mother, is an emotionally immature woman, but despite her issues, she made her entire life about finding her son and bringing him home. Now that that has happened, she doesn't know how to stop looking for him.
Jeff, Caleb's father, wants Caleb to be the same boy he was before the abduction. He is also dealing with the lack of tenacity his wife had while Caleb was missing. Jeff felt like the best thing for everyone was to believe Caleb was gone for good, probably dead. But, Marlene would not give up on her child. So, now that Caleb is back, Jeff is sort of left out of the healing process.
Lark, is Caleb's younger sister. She is a positive girl. She is able to adjust to whatever life throws at her. But, she suffers in silence mostly. She was closest to her father, but wants to have a relationship with Caleb again.
Once Caleb is found the media once again swarms. He is locked up in his home with no chance of going to school or resuming a "normal" life. So, his mother decided they would move to Costa Rica where her mother in law has invested in an old hotel.
The bulk of the story takes place here as Caleb struggles to find out who he is. Is he Caleb, or does his alter ego- Nicky- the name he used when he was "gone", have the stronger hold on him?
He struggles with letting go of the bond that he still feels for the man who saved him from a worse situation, making him feel grateful even.
He is also haunted by others he encountered while he was "gone".
This book is not one of those books you will want to read again and again. You will never pull it out and say this is a favorite book. It's a one and done type of book.
I think it was a real look at the damage this type of crime does to the entire family. The wounds that never heal, the strength we find we have even through our weaknesses, and how we sometimes have to forget about the path we started on and go down the path we find ourselves on and do the best we can.
Sometimes, no doubt, you will find yourself judging Marlene and the decisions she makes. She isn't the perfect mother by any means. But, she is human. She makes mistakes, puts her own needs first at times, forgets her daughter, is unsure of herself and second guesses decisions a lot. But, really, there isn't a manual for these situations. Her husband, in my opinion, was basically useless to her. She was on her own except for her FBI friend, but even he begins to distance himself once other cases begin to take up his time.
Lowell, is not the best substitution for a father. But, he is there and Caleb seems to respond to him far better than his own father.
The struggles Caleb goes through though are the most heart wrenching. Your heart just breaks for him.
The ending holds out hope for Caleb that he will find himself and will have some peace at last. No, it's not perfect, but Marlene had it right I think. Normal was never going to be a possibility again. To accept that, showed a perception most of us wouldn't be able to accept.
I must admit that I struggled through this one. I didn't have that anticipation I normally do when I get ready to sit down to read. In fact, I heaved a sigh of relief when the book was finished.
This is not the type of book I am drawn to in most cases and I am in no hurry to ever jump back into this type of storyline.
But, the book was well written and once I did settle in to read, I found myself absorbed in the marital dramas and the adventures the kids were involved in.
I do recommend this book, if you are strong enough to get through the horror Caleb went through and psychological torment he was still dealing with. This is a fascinating study in what could be an all to real scenario for some.
You would hope and pray for the return of a missing child, but for this family the drama was just beginning.
Overall this one gets an A.
May 5, 2013
Where you can find me involves a disturbing plot. A young boy is kidnapped and abused for years, by his abductor. This novel involves the after of that and how hard it is for a family to reunited and adjust after going through such an ordeal. Usually I shy away from books that involve this type of child abuse, but the plot seemed interesting to me.
I didn't really feel like I was invested in the story. I don't know if it was the style of writing, which I made it seem like I was hearing this story at a distance, or what the problem was. Overall, I was bored throughout the entire novel. I wasn't satisfied with the ending of the novel. It just seemed to drop off and not really complete the story.
The only character I enjoyed was the youngest child, Lark. She was smart and caring. Lark didn't have an opportunity for a normal childhood once Caleb disappeared. Her parents were obviously involved into putting every effort to find Caleb, and seemed to isolate her from society to protect her. When Caleb does return all she wants is to help her brother adjust to returning to his life and family. When he was silent, but the social situation required him to do something she was his cue to speak up or react. Without her he would have been lost.
I found the mother, Marlene, to be selfish and immature. I don't know if moving her family to a new country right after Caleb was returned was the best idea. Yes, it may have protected him from the media frenzy, but I would think he should have been in some intensive therapy to deal with what he went through while he was kidnapped and abused. I don't think therapy via phone with his therapist was helping him. Marlene seemed like she was missing her youth and wanted to relive it or at least be buddies with her kids instead of a grown-up. She was struggling with returning to a normal life after Caleb was returned. The past three years she had a goal. Find Caleb. Now that he is back she struggles with finding purpose with her life and that could have been why she was just trying to be friends with Caleb instead of his mother.
The book doesn't go into detail with what happened to Caleb while he was gone. You only see pieces of his time with Jolly. After Caleb is returned he is still operating on a survivor's instinct and just tells everyone what they want to hear and not what he is really feeling, which was frustrating as the novel went on. I just really wanted him to get the help he needed and be able to communicate his feelings to his family.
I do wish that you got a better sense of what Costa Rica was like, which I didn't with this book.
I didn't really feel like I was invested in the story. I don't know if it was the style of writing, which I made it seem like I was hearing this story at a distance, or what the problem was. Overall, I was bored throughout the entire novel. I wasn't satisfied with the ending of the novel. It just seemed to drop off and not really complete the story.
The only character I enjoyed was the youngest child, Lark. She was smart and caring. Lark didn't have an opportunity for a normal childhood once Caleb disappeared. Her parents were obviously involved into putting every effort to find Caleb, and seemed to isolate her from society to protect her. When Caleb does return all she wants is to help her brother adjust to returning to his life and family. When he was silent, but the social situation required him to do something she was his cue to speak up or react. Without her he would have been lost.
I found the mother, Marlene, to be selfish and immature. I don't know if moving her family to a new country right after Caleb was returned was the best idea. Yes, it may have protected him from the media frenzy, but I would think he should have been in some intensive therapy to deal with what he went through while he was kidnapped and abused. I don't think therapy via phone with his therapist was helping him. Marlene seemed like she was missing her youth and wanted to relive it or at least be buddies with her kids instead of a grown-up. She was struggling with returning to a normal life after Caleb was returned. The past three years she had a goal. Find Caleb. Now that he is back she struggles with finding purpose with her life and that could have been why she was just trying to be friends with Caleb instead of his mother.
The book doesn't go into detail with what happened to Caleb while he was gone. You only see pieces of his time with Jolly. After Caleb is returned he is still operating on a survivor's instinct and just tells everyone what they want to hear and not what he is really feeling, which was frustrating as the novel went on. I just really wanted him to get the help he needed and be able to communicate his feelings to his family.
I do wish that you got a better sense of what Costa Rica was like, which I didn't with this book.
March 11, 2013
Where You Can Find Me follows the Vincent families struggles after the return of their son. He was kidnapped by pedophiles at the age of 11 and returned to them at the 14.
Trying to find a place away from the media circus, the mother decides to move the family to her mother-in-laws retreat in Costa Rica. Though life in Costa Rica is not as the escape assume and they definitely cannot escape the emotional troubles they left behind.
This book deals with difficult, disturbing and explicited issues. The story is complex throughout and is not an easy read. Absolutely riveting, hoping for a happy ending I read through this story... I know the topic will stick with me for days. Where You Can Find Me is an intense insight into the darker side of humanity and the devastating effects it had on innocence and everyone around them.
Honestly, this is not a book I would of chosen to read for pleasure. I am not ignorant to the horrors of life but find my reading time to escape from such topics. That being said, this story was well written, comprehensive in covering a multiple character plot and even though it ended rather abruptly, I was trapped by the story.
This ARC copy of Where You Can Find Me was given to me by St. Martin's Press - Thomas Dunne Books in exchange for a honest review. This book is set for publication on April 16, 2013.
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Trying to find a place away from the media circus, the mother decides to move the family to her mother-in-laws retreat in Costa Rica. Though life in Costa Rica is not as the escape assume and they definitely cannot escape the emotional troubles they left behind.
This book deals with difficult, disturbing and explicited issues. The story is complex throughout and is not an easy read. Absolutely riveting, hoping for a happy ending I read through this story... I know the topic will stick with me for days. Where You Can Find Me is an intense insight into the darker side of humanity and the devastating effects it had on innocence and everyone around them.
Honestly, this is not a book I would of chosen to read for pleasure. I am not ignorant to the horrors of life but find my reading time to escape from such topics. That being said, this story was well written, comprehensive in covering a multiple character plot and even though it ended rather abruptly, I was trapped by the story.
This ARC copy of Where You Can Find Me was given to me by St. Martin's Press - Thomas Dunne Books in exchange for a honest review. This book is set for publication on April 16, 2013.
For More Reviews Click Picture Below
May 11, 2013
3.5 I started reading this right before they found those women in Cleveland and that kind of freaked me out because in this book Caleb is kidnapped when he is eleven and found when he is fourteen. This book is not for the faint of heart, it contains graphic descriptions of molestation and the horrid desires in the lives of pedophiles. It also made me think of all this news coverage of the girls, the role of news reporters and the lack of privacy these young women will face. Caleb goes through the same things, he cannot even go for a bike ride without someone stalking him trying to get a picture with their phone. His family has crumbled during his absence, and even after his return they are unable to any type of cohesive family life. Caleb's mom, without his dad, takes him and his younger sister to live in Costa Rica with their grandmother, where she is hoping for privacy and a chance to start over.
This book was very hard to read,not because of the writing which is very good but I try never to read books about pedphiles but in this case I felt drawn to find out how this family would end up. The reader only learns what happened to Caleb, in bits and pieces from Caleb himself. His family had been told to let Caleb tell his story only when he is comfortable doing so. This book gave me quite a bit to think about, but it is also a visit to the dark side, and in a way I wish I had not gone there.
This book was very hard to read,not because of the writing which is very good but I try never to read books about pedphiles but in this case I felt drawn to find out how this family would end up. The reader only learns what happened to Caleb, in bits and pieces from Caleb himself. His family had been told to let Caleb tell his story only when he is comfortable doing so. This book gave me quite a bit to think about, but it is also a visit to the dark side, and in a way I wish I had not gone there.
August 26, 2014
Where You Can Find Me opens with the reunion of a family with their son three years after he was kidnapped by pedophiles. Joseph wisely does not spend a lot of time recounting the horrors of Caleb's captivity. She is more interested in the complex relationships within his damaged family. Caleb's mother, who has a history of substance abuse predating the kidnapping, decides on the fly to uproot her family and move to Costa Rica to escape the media spotlight. The father is willingly left behind as he is deeply uncomfortable around a son that he considers to be a stranger.
There is some real psychological complexity here, especially regarding the son's ambivalent relationship with his former kidnapper. Caleb refuses to testify against the man he calls Jolly whom he believes rescued him from more abusive captors. Jolly is a manipulator and manages to contact Caleb, whom he calls Nicky, and attempts to lure him back into his profoundly messed up world.
Joseph's novel is not exactly a fun read. It deals with long term psychological trauma and the hidden world of sex trafficking. After reading this I think I would like to read a nice fantasy novel with some wizards in it.
There is some real psychological complexity here, especially regarding the son's ambivalent relationship with his former kidnapper. Caleb refuses to testify against the man he calls Jolly whom he believes rescued him from more abusive captors. Jolly is a manipulator and manages to contact Caleb, whom he calls Nicky, and attempts to lure him back into his profoundly messed up world.
Joseph's novel is not exactly a fun read. It deals with long term psychological trauma and the hidden world of sex trafficking. After reading this I think I would like to read a nice fantasy novel with some wizards in it.
August 27, 2016
Caleb Vincent disappears without warning, leaving his loved ones worried. Although he is happy living in a home, his reserved personality causes everyone else to get suspicious. They are not only protective over him, but they want him to stay indoors. Caleb adjusts to a different lifestyle without the presence of his mother, it is both relieving & distressing. Caleb has a good support system around him but he longs to be independent. In addition, conflicts arises when Caleb can't take feeling isolated and starts to make his own decisions.
I had a very difficult time rating this book. The first intial pages were luring, it was almost heartbreaking to see how wounded Caleb was. The characters were very sympathic, it was believable to see what role they played in the story. In contrast,the story was inconsistent towards the end. I lost focus on what the story was about,it kept switching viewpoints.
However, I will say it was a solid three and look forward to reading more novels by Joseph.
I had a very difficult time rating this book. The first intial pages were luring, it was almost heartbreaking to see how wounded Caleb was. The characters were very sympathic, it was believable to see what role they played in the story. In contrast,the story was inconsistent towards the end. I lost focus on what the story was about,it kept switching viewpoints.
However, I will say it was a solid three and look forward to reading more novels by Joseph.
March 17, 2013
In _Where You Can Find Me_, Sheri Joseph offers one possible answer to one of those questions I have always had: what happens after a lost or abducted child somehow finds his or her way home? What happens when the thrill and relief of finding the child alive is slowly replaced by trying to figure out who the child has become? The process Caleb and his family goes through is complicated and wrenching, all the more so because of how attached we get to each these characters--characters we love in spite of, or maybe because of, their flaws.
All that may sound heavy, but there's a light touch in Joseph's wonderful imagery, and moments of wonder and beauty buried in the Costa Rican setting. The novel builds suspense and momentum as it hurtles toward an ending that is, like all the best endings, all at once surprising and inevitable.
All that may sound heavy, but there's a light touch in Joseph's wonderful imagery, and moments of wonder and beauty buried in the Costa Rican setting. The novel builds suspense and momentum as it hurtles toward an ending that is, like all the best endings, all at once surprising and inevitable.
June 1, 2013
Interesting but confusing. The protagonist is confused, so are his parents, and the situation is extremely confusing. So the reader ends up confused as well...
December 16, 2014
“Normal was a false god…” – Marlene Vincent
Caleb Vincent was eleven years old when he was abducted. Three years later the FBI has found him and returned him to his family in suburban Atlanta. As Caleb is hounded by the media and voyeurs and faces the beginning of high school, any degree of freedom seems impossible. His mother Marlene decides to move the children far from prying, prurient eyes to her mother-in-law’s farm in the Cloud Forest of Costa Rica. The family adjusts to a new life in Costa Rica with some success. They learn Spanish, enroll in school and make friends – a semblance of normalcy. But then the past comes calling and Caleb is forced to choose whether he will remain with his family, with which he no longer feels sure he belongs, or return to the life he came to know when he was taken.
Where You Can Find Me by Sheri Joseph is a stunning psychological portrait of a family in the wake of tragedy and an unflinching exploration of their attempts to move forward. The maelstrom of conflicting emotions Caleb must carefully pick his way through is excruciating. Who is he now? Is he gay or straight? Is he permanently damaged? Is the person he used to be gone forever? Does he even deserve to be back with his family? Must fundamentally: is he good or bad?
While the premise of Where You Can Find Me is not particularly original – there have been several books in the last few years about kids who are returned – the author’s treatment of her subject sets her work apart. Josef does not shy from uncomfortable facts or emotional dilemmas that will make you squirm but neither does she present them in a lascivious fashion. Her goal is not to shock you but rather to coax you into considering the situation without knee-jerk reactions. Rich with insight, Josef’s prose is candid, but respectful, and her ability to imagine the profound cross-currents in this situation and engender empathy in circumstances that most of us can’t personally relate to, is remarkable.
The characters in Where You Can Find Me are well-defined and believable. You can tell when characters are individual and complex because they are flawed. You won’t always like the characters in this novel. Marlene can be flighty and irresponsible; Jeff can be reserved when he ought to be offering more of himself; little Lark, Caleb’s younger sister, is an anxious perfectionist who tries desperately to be mature beyond her years but, perversely, this sometimes lends her the peevish air of a petulant toddler.
As horrific and impressive are the large plot points in Where You Can Find Me, it’s the small details in this story that bring you up short and convey the magnitude of the changes each family member has endured. The simplest acts are fraught with possible pitfalls. “At the table that had been purchased the same year as the house, they sat for dinner, unable to remember who sat where.” Caleb’s father watched his son play the piano and wearing his glasses, neither of which he did before he was taken, and struggled to relate to this child as he is now, not as he was. “He was healthy, polite, so clearly present in his watchful way behind those glasses, and yet. Whose child was this? Over time, some tether must have snapped. Or had Jeff only let it go? The boy in his house belonged to others, …”
While the concept for this novel is usually found in a thriller, this is not a suspenseful action-packed story. The pacing can be somewhat slow in places. Josef has crafted a psychologically complex narrative where everything exists in shades of gray. There are no black or white absolutes to be found anywhere. If you prefer stories that deal in moral absolutes with clear good guys and bad guys you might want to look elsewhere. But if you feel like challenging yourself or are more comfortable with realism than parable, I highly recommend Where You Can Find Me.
Published in South85 Journal, Fall/Winter 2014
Caleb Vincent was eleven years old when he was abducted. Three years later the FBI has found him and returned him to his family in suburban Atlanta. As Caleb is hounded by the media and voyeurs and faces the beginning of high school, any degree of freedom seems impossible. His mother Marlene decides to move the children far from prying, prurient eyes to her mother-in-law’s farm in the Cloud Forest of Costa Rica. The family adjusts to a new life in Costa Rica with some success. They learn Spanish, enroll in school and make friends – a semblance of normalcy. But then the past comes calling and Caleb is forced to choose whether he will remain with his family, with which he no longer feels sure he belongs, or return to the life he came to know when he was taken.
Where You Can Find Me by Sheri Joseph is a stunning psychological portrait of a family in the wake of tragedy and an unflinching exploration of their attempts to move forward. The maelstrom of conflicting emotions Caleb must carefully pick his way through is excruciating. Who is he now? Is he gay or straight? Is he permanently damaged? Is the person he used to be gone forever? Does he even deserve to be back with his family? Must fundamentally: is he good or bad?
While the premise of Where You Can Find Me is not particularly original – there have been several books in the last few years about kids who are returned – the author’s treatment of her subject sets her work apart. Josef does not shy from uncomfortable facts or emotional dilemmas that will make you squirm but neither does she present them in a lascivious fashion. Her goal is not to shock you but rather to coax you into considering the situation without knee-jerk reactions. Rich with insight, Josef’s prose is candid, but respectful, and her ability to imagine the profound cross-currents in this situation and engender empathy in circumstances that most of us can’t personally relate to, is remarkable.
The characters in Where You Can Find Me are well-defined and believable. You can tell when characters are individual and complex because they are flawed. You won’t always like the characters in this novel. Marlene can be flighty and irresponsible; Jeff can be reserved when he ought to be offering more of himself; little Lark, Caleb’s younger sister, is an anxious perfectionist who tries desperately to be mature beyond her years but, perversely, this sometimes lends her the peevish air of a petulant toddler.
As horrific and impressive are the large plot points in Where You Can Find Me, it’s the small details in this story that bring you up short and convey the magnitude of the changes each family member has endured. The simplest acts are fraught with possible pitfalls. “At the table that had been purchased the same year as the house, they sat for dinner, unable to remember who sat where.” Caleb’s father watched his son play the piano and wearing his glasses, neither of which he did before he was taken, and struggled to relate to this child as he is now, not as he was. “He was healthy, polite, so clearly present in his watchful way behind those glasses, and yet. Whose child was this? Over time, some tether must have snapped. Or had Jeff only let it go? The boy in his house belonged to others, …”
While the concept for this novel is usually found in a thriller, this is not a suspenseful action-packed story. The pacing can be somewhat slow in places. Josef has crafted a psychologically complex narrative where everything exists in shades of gray. There are no black or white absolutes to be found anywhere. If you prefer stories that deal in moral absolutes with clear good guys and bad guys you might want to look elsewhere. But if you feel like challenging yourself or are more comfortable with realism than parable, I highly recommend Where You Can Find Me.
Published in South85 Journal, Fall/Winter 2014
May 16, 2013
A well-written novel that takes a Jodi Picoult-type current controversy theme (a boy returned to his family some years after being abducted by a pedophile) and gives us a great deal to think about. I found it a particularly poignant read in light of the recent barrage of publicity about the young women who were found in Cleveland, Ohio after 10 years in captivity. There is no mistaking the impact of our insatiable media on people in this sort of spotlight, or the challenges of those trying to readjust. The novel opens as 14 year old Caleb is trying to settle in with his family. He went missing as an 11 year old, the same age his sister is now. His mother literally flees the country with him and his sister in order to try to heal.
The theme is a grim one, but I disagree with those who found it graphic: if anything, the author skates quite carefully over the details of what he might have experienced, giving the reader just the smallest taste, and that toward the very end of the book.
What she does exceptionally well is chart the inner struggles of a boy who no longer knows what is 'normal', who worries that he may have been at fault, that his family can no longer love him, who isn't sure where he belongs anymore.
She captures well the stresses on his family: a mother who threw herself into the search for her missing child so absolutely that she hardly knows how to function now that he is found; a father struggling with guilt over having 'given up' the boy for dead, a sister tippy-toeing through the minefield of all their anxieties. I sometimes lost patience with the too-modern family (I wanted to hiss "Grow up, already" at Caleb's parents, uncle and grandmother!) but it is hard to imagine how ANY of us would react in a situation as dramatic as this one.
This was a leisurely read, twisty and challenging. I found it reassuring that the author was able to give us some hope in the end: Caleb eventually finds that he DOES know where he belongs, and is able to make useful choices. There is a sense that love can heal even these astonishing wounds. People survive such ordeals and sometimes reemerge whole, if changed.
A remarkable undertaking
The theme is a grim one, but I disagree with those who found it graphic: if anything, the author skates quite carefully over the details of what he might have experienced, giving the reader just the smallest taste, and that toward the very end of the book.
What she does exceptionally well is chart the inner struggles of a boy who no longer knows what is 'normal', who worries that he may have been at fault, that his family can no longer love him, who isn't sure where he belongs anymore.
She captures well the stresses on his family: a mother who threw herself into the search for her missing child so absolutely that she hardly knows how to function now that he is found; a father struggling with guilt over having 'given up' the boy for dead, a sister tippy-toeing through the minefield of all their anxieties. I sometimes lost patience with the too-modern family (I wanted to hiss "Grow up, already" at Caleb's parents, uncle and grandmother!) but it is hard to imagine how ANY of us would react in a situation as dramatic as this one.
This was a leisurely read, twisty and challenging. I found it reassuring that the author was able to give us some hope in the end: Caleb eventually finds that he DOES know where he belongs, and is able to make useful choices. There is a sense that love can heal even these astonishing wounds. People survive such ordeals and sometimes reemerge whole, if changed.
A remarkable undertaking
August 8, 2017
This book kept my interest enough to finish the book but I didn't like the book. It was not what I expected it to be.
December 29, 2018
4.5/5 stars
Where You Can Find Me is an incredibly disturbing book. Rape, pedophilia, incest, child abuse- it's disgusting, which is one of the reasons I see a lot of people rating it one or two stars. However, I absolutely loved it for the same reasons. I never see books that attack these subjects, and if I do, I've never read one that addresses it in such a direct, descriptive method. I felt sick half the time I was reading it, but I couldn't look away. Sheri Joseph writes this story in a compelling, personal way that makes me feel intensely for Caleb and all of his family, and forced me to confront these disturbing issues that so many people want to ignore.
I see many people saying that the amount of detail Joseph went into was unnecessary, but I disagree. For a book like this, dealing with the results of Caleb's kidnapping and sexual abuse requires gruesome details. Yes, I was uncomfortable at the time, but this made it seem so much more realistic.
I absolutely loved the characters. Caleb was a screwed-up kid, with flaws, as he's bound to be after something like this, and I wouldn't have blamed him if he was unlikable, but he's so vulnerable at times that I ended up loving him anyway. Lark was sweet and well-meaning and written like a completely realistic younger sibling. Marlene, Caleb's mother, was incredibly flawed character, and while I didn't always like her, I definitely felt for her. I even felt for her husband, Jeff, though he dealt with the situation incorrectly; I understood where he was coming from and how difficult it was to deal with something like this.
This book is written in a way I rarely see. Joseph isn't afraid to make the reader uncomfortable, scared, grossed out. All of the scenes were written incredibly vividly, and displayed so much emotions. Scenes that would be inconsequential, like riding a horse, ziplining, hanging out with friends, revealed so much about every character. [I especially loved how the horse riding scene was written from Lark's point of view, who had no idea what was going on.] I loved how nothing was perfect, or clean-cut; not Caleb's abuse, nor his feelings for his abuser/father Jolly, nor his sexuality. Everything was complicated, but managed to come to a conclusive end.
Where You Can Find Me is an incredibly disturbing book. Rape, pedophilia, incest, child abuse- it's disgusting, which is one of the reasons I see a lot of people rating it one or two stars. However, I absolutely loved it for the same reasons. I never see books that attack these subjects, and if I do, I've never read one that addresses it in such a direct, descriptive method. I felt sick half the time I was reading it, but I couldn't look away. Sheri Joseph writes this story in a compelling, personal way that makes me feel intensely for Caleb and all of his family, and forced me to confront these disturbing issues that so many people want to ignore.
I see many people saying that the amount of detail Joseph went into was unnecessary, but I disagree. For a book like this, dealing with the results of Caleb's kidnapping and sexual abuse requires gruesome details. Yes, I was uncomfortable at the time, but this made it seem so much more realistic.
I absolutely loved the characters. Caleb was a screwed-up kid, with flaws, as he's bound to be after something like this, and I wouldn't have blamed him if he was unlikable, but he's so vulnerable at times that I ended up loving him anyway. Lark was sweet and well-meaning and written like a completely realistic younger sibling. Marlene, Caleb's mother, was incredibly flawed character, and while I didn't always like her, I definitely felt for her. I even felt for her husband, Jeff, though he dealt with the situation incorrectly; I understood where he was coming from and how difficult it was to deal with something like this.
This book is written in a way I rarely see. Joseph isn't afraid to make the reader uncomfortable, scared, grossed out. All of the scenes were written incredibly vividly, and displayed so much emotions. Scenes that would be inconsequential, like riding a horse, ziplining, hanging out with friends, revealed so much about every character. [I especially loved how the horse riding scene was written from Lark's point of view, who had no idea what was going on.] I loved how nothing was perfect, or clean-cut; not Caleb's abuse, nor his feelings for his abuser/father Jolly, nor his sexuality. Everything was complicated, but managed to come to a conclusive end.
March 20, 2013
I feel really divided over this book. The writing was beautiful. The author clearly has a way with words that can easily overwhelm the reader with emotion. I think her style is unique and from a literary standpoint, absolutely amazing. On the other hand, this is a sad book, where there will never be much triumph in the resolution. The damage has been done and it is the kind that can't ever just 'go away,' even with the passage of time.
So here goes.
I loved the writing, but I HATED and I say this with every fiber of my being HATED the subject matter. I respect what the author accomplished in telling this story, and her characters become deeply ingrained into your heart and soul as you read her words, but this was too intense and explicit for my personal taste. I do understand that pedophiles exist. I also understand that things we, as parents, would never wish on anyone's children can happen to our own, but this book flat out disgusted me at times. There were points in the book where I quite honestly wanted to slap the parents. I won't spoil it for others, but I will say that no matter what a psychologist told me to do or not to do, I would follow my own heart when making decisions about the life of my child.
If you have the heart to finish this book and not want to murder things, you might be the kind of person who could really enjoy this completely. For me, I enjoyed the writing style of the author and the thought she put into her characters, but still think this book was a terribly disheartening experience.
The author does show throughout the book how the family has to make adjustments in order to survive when their son, who has been changed so much returns. She does a brilliant job of making us believe in her characters individual realities. Personally, I found it to be more real than I could handle.
The end was somewhat abrupt, but for once, I was glad. Of course I would have liked a happy ending, most people do, but in this case, I was just happy to move on to something less emotionally taxing.
This review is based on an advanced review copy from the publisher.
So here goes.
I loved the writing, but I HATED and I say this with every fiber of my being HATED the subject matter. I respect what the author accomplished in telling this story, and her characters become deeply ingrained into your heart and soul as you read her words, but this was too intense and explicit for my personal taste. I do understand that pedophiles exist. I also understand that things we, as parents, would never wish on anyone's children can happen to our own, but this book flat out disgusted me at times. There were points in the book where I quite honestly wanted to slap the parents. I won't spoil it for others, but I will say that no matter what a psychologist told me to do or not to do, I would follow my own heart when making decisions about the life of my child.
If you have the heart to finish this book and not want to murder things, you might be the kind of person who could really enjoy this completely. For me, I enjoyed the writing style of the author and the thought she put into her characters, but still think this book was a terribly disheartening experience.
The author does show throughout the book how the family has to make adjustments in order to survive when their son, who has been changed so much returns. She does a brilliant job of making us believe in her characters individual realities. Personally, I found it to be more real than I could handle.
The end was somewhat abrupt, but for once, I was glad. Of course I would have liked a happy ending, most people do, but in this case, I was just happy to move on to something less emotionally taxing.
This review is based on an advanced review copy from the publisher.
March 28, 2013
A Kidnapped Child Is Found and A Family Struggles to Put Their Lives Back Together
Caleb is back. He was kidnapped after his eleventh birthday. Now he's home as a fourteen-year-old and carrying all the emotional baggage of his capture and mistreatment. His family is thrilled to have him back, but the stresses they've experienced during his absence are exacerbated by the return. The parents have difficulty connecting with each other. Caleb finds it impossible to talk about his ordeal, and the reporters won't leave the family alone. They are in a state of seige in their own home.
To break away and start over, Marlene, the mother, decides on her own to move the children to Costa Rica where her husband's mother lives in a run down hotel in the cloud forest. Although the family has left their old home behind, they can't run away from the emotional trauma that divides them. Caleb, particularly has trouble adjusting. He had formed a loving relationship with Jolly, the man who rescued him from the abusive pedophile who kidnapped him, but it isn't a healthy bond.
This is a book filled with pain. The characters have been through a devastating experience and are trying to come to terms with it. The three years spent searching for Caleb effectively tore the family apart, and they seem unable to come together again. Although they feel it's a miracle Caleb is back, his return from the horrible experiences of his kidnapping are as hard for the family to deal with as his absence.
This is not an easy book to read. The author has captured the tortured emotions of the estranged parents extremely well, so well in fact that the scenes in the book are very painful. The content, which focuses on pedophilia, is likewise difficult to read. If you choose to read this book, be prepared for a wrenching experience.
I reviewed this book for NetGalley.
Caleb is back. He was kidnapped after his eleventh birthday. Now he's home as a fourteen-year-old and carrying all the emotional baggage of his capture and mistreatment. His family is thrilled to have him back, but the stresses they've experienced during his absence are exacerbated by the return. The parents have difficulty connecting with each other. Caleb finds it impossible to talk about his ordeal, and the reporters won't leave the family alone. They are in a state of seige in their own home.
To break away and start over, Marlene, the mother, decides on her own to move the children to Costa Rica where her husband's mother lives in a run down hotel in the cloud forest. Although the family has left their old home behind, they can't run away from the emotional trauma that divides them. Caleb, particularly has trouble adjusting. He had formed a loving relationship with Jolly, the man who rescued him from the abusive pedophile who kidnapped him, but it isn't a healthy bond.
This is a book filled with pain. The characters have been through a devastating experience and are trying to come to terms with it. The three years spent searching for Caleb effectively tore the family apart, and they seem unable to come together again. Although they feel it's a miracle Caleb is back, his return from the horrible experiences of his kidnapping are as hard for the family to deal with as his absence.
This is not an easy book to read. The author has captured the tortured emotions of the estranged parents extremely well, so well in fact that the scenes in the book are very painful. The content, which focuses on pedophilia, is likewise difficult to read. If you choose to read this book, be prepared for a wrenching experience.
I reviewed this book for NetGalley.
August 10, 2013
In the first few chapters it was a bit of trouble deciphering events as they had happened, and that was really the only thing I had problems with. Other than that this was an amazing book. Heartbreaking and so disturbing to know that this really does happen to the unfortunate missing.
pg150 Thoughts of Marlene Vincent: The painful things; She knew the shorthand, the expression on his face. At a certain point, those who'd rallied for the search had fallen quietly back and away. No one wanted to be around the mother of a dead child, especially one who couldn't admit the kid was dead. No one wanted to spend a life searching for a corpse.
Marlene never gave up the search for her missing child, Caleb, who vanished at the age of eleven. She sought him so much and so hard that she ended up separated from her family, husband and daughter. She'd become a crazy woman addicted, and desperate.
Caleb lived for two years as Nicky. A child who in the beginning lived under the stricture of a pedophile in a basement, living with the ghosts of other similar children with worse fates.
Upon his return Caleb's family unit is under pressures of guilt and blame. They move to Costa Rica to get away from the public media scrutiny. Once there they form a way of life that pleases everyone and they all come to grips with the intricate web that makes up this boy they don't know, while trying piece together their lives.
pg150 Thoughts of Marlene Vincent: The painful things; She knew the shorthand, the expression on his face. At a certain point, those who'd rallied for the search had fallen quietly back and away. No one wanted to be around the mother of a dead child, especially one who couldn't admit the kid was dead. No one wanted to spend a life searching for a corpse.
Marlene never gave up the search for her missing child, Caleb, who vanished at the age of eleven. She sought him so much and so hard that she ended up separated from her family, husband and daughter. She'd become a crazy woman addicted, and desperate.
Caleb lived for two years as Nicky. A child who in the beginning lived under the stricture of a pedophile in a basement, living with the ghosts of other similar children with worse fates.
Upon his return Caleb's family unit is under pressures of guilt and blame. They move to Costa Rica to get away from the public media scrutiny. Once there they form a way of life that pleases everyone and they all come to grips with the intricate web that makes up this boy they don't know, while trying piece together their lives.
May 2, 2013
This is a disturbing novel that examines how our life experiences change our identity. Caleb Vincent is fourteen and recently reunited with his family. He had been kidnapped by a ring of pedophiles when he was eleven, abused and hooked on drugs. He was then “rescued” by a doctor he calls Jolly, who treated him well, got him off drugs and back in school, but who also has a sexual relationship with Caleb. Caleb feels like he is pretending to be Caleb for his parents, trying to be the person they want to see. He was something else for too long and his experiences have changed him. Not surprisingly, he is confused and uncertain about his own sexual identity. Sex had previously been something about which he had no choice. Now that he has a life where his sexual choices are not forced on him, he has difficulty finding his way.
Joseph has written a graphic story that exposes how delicate the thin veneer of civilized humanity is and how difficult it is to repair that veneer once it has been torn away. A book that leads the reader down new avenues of thought that are often not very pleasant.
Joseph has written a graphic story that exposes how delicate the thin veneer of civilized humanity is and how difficult it is to repair that veneer once it has been torn away. A book that leads the reader down new avenues of thought that are often not very pleasant.
July 17, 2014
Another book I read by my instructor at the Northwoods Writers Conference.
One week after celebrating his 11th birthday Caleb is abducted by a violent pedophile and after three years he's found and returned to his family. To escape the media hoopla his mother finds refuge for the family at the grandmother's rundown hotel in Costa Rica. In this place the family, minus the father, who still feels disconnected from his son, tries to heal. However, another pedophile is still stalking Caleb who feels he's the one who saved him from the hell hole his first abductor had him imprisoned.
This is a difficult subject to read and write about but Joseph has written an intriguing and riveting drama about the world of child abduction and pedophiles. I must say I could't put it down and believed that these characters showed how a family can survive one an unspeakable tragedy.
One week after celebrating his 11th birthday Caleb is abducted by a violent pedophile and after three years he's found and returned to his family. To escape the media hoopla his mother finds refuge for the family at the grandmother's rundown hotel in Costa Rica. In this place the family, minus the father, who still feels disconnected from his son, tries to heal. However, another pedophile is still stalking Caleb who feels he's the one who saved him from the hell hole his first abductor had him imprisoned.
This is a difficult subject to read and write about but Joseph has written an intriguing and riveting drama about the world of child abduction and pedophiles. I must say I could't put it down and believed that these characters showed how a family can survive one an unspeakable tragedy.
February 28, 2013
This is a story about an 11-year-old boy who was abducted by a pedophile and discovered 3 years later and returned home to his family. His mother moves him and his sister to Costa Rica to remove him from the limelight of the media. This is an uncomfortable book to read, although I felt compelled to read ahead. I had a feeling of dread throughout as though afraid of the outcome. I had feelings of compassion for the son and daughter but frustration with the mother. I felt like the book just dropped off rather than come to a successful conclusion.
October 16, 2013
It was very hard for me to get into this book due to the poor grammar-I thought there were many incomplete sentences and I found myself going back to re-read them because many of the thoughts seemed incomplete. I did eventually get invested in Caleb's life and was interested to see what happened to him. The story does deal with disturbing subject matter, but I was fairly pleased with how the story ended-no real ending, but then what 14 year old is at the end?
June 1, 2013
I wanted to like this book so badly, but I didn't. It was just too disjointed for me and lagged in ways it shouldn't. Good effort by the author, and I did like certain elements (like some of the non-cliched character behavior and portrayal,I was bored through a lot of it.
October 2, 2013
I liked it and I didn't. Parts were interesting, but I didn't really connect to some of the characters. I liked the ending.
May 30, 2017
'Where You Can Find Me' by US author Sheri Joseph is a disturbing, yet engrossing, novel dealing with the difficult subject of child abduction and abuse. However, despite the subject matter the book is never sensationalist, exploitative or didactic; indeed the author handles the matter with an objectivity which strips away the reader's instinctive emotional response and portrays a world, and its inhabitants, where moral compasses are ambiguous.
That is not to say that the core issue is not taken seriously - indeed there are definite 'bad guys' here, but the novel acknowledges that there is not always a clear-cut definition of hero and villain, depending on perspective. This is encapsulated in the character of 'Jolly' aka 'Charles Lundy' a doctor who 'rescues' the young protagonist, Caleb (or Nicky as he is known in captivity) from a brutal and depraved paedophile ring, having been abducted at the age of 11. However, despite this seemingly altruistic act, Jolly tells Caleb that his parents are no longer looking for him and keeps him at his own house for a further 18 months before the FBI trace him. Jolly’s motives - and how exactly he obtained Caleb from the ring - are never made clear. The character of Jolly is mainly seen in flashback, through the prism of Caleb's memories - and Caleb's own perspective is never clear-cut; is he suffering from a form of Stockholm Syndrome in insisting that Jolly 'saved' him? Was he also abused by Jolly? Difficult questions.
The book opens with Caleb, now 14, returned to his parents and younger sister Lark by the FBI after being rescued. What should be an ecstatic reunion is, inevitably, a confused and difficult process for all concerned. Caleb is not the boy who disappeared 3 years before and the family and Caleb struggle to work through this. Caleb's father Jeff, especially struggles to connect having given Caleb up for dead - a fact that has led to a deep rift between him and Caleb's mother, Marlene. Caleb himself is unsettled and self-conscious being, as he sees it, ripped from the protective bubble that Jolly had kept him in and still traumatised by his previous experiences.
What impressed me most about this work is how the core plot of Caleb’s return is used, through the various characters, to explore issues of identity in various ways. This is most obviously seen in Caleb, who was not only known as ‘Nicky’ during his captivity, but inhabited Nicky as an alter-ego as a sort of defence mechanism – a persona he finds it hard to let go of. Marlene has also undergone a change in moving on from drug and alcohol addiction during Caleb’s disappearance to a decisive role in moving the family to Costa Rica to avoid the US media glare. Jeff’s identity is as a husband and father is challenged by Caleb’s return in less positive ways – Marlene cannot forgive him for giving Caleb up for dead and Jeff himself fails to connect with the newly-returned Caleb as a father; a role that falls to his wayward brother in Costa Rica, Lowell, whilst Jeff remains in the US.
Costa Rica itself is portrayed as a challenging place of extreme beauty (the main setting is the 'Cloud Forest’ nature reserve of Monteverde), occasional tedium (the place is shrouded in damp cloud and rain for long periods) and flashes of danger (Lowell’s mysterious and possibly illegal ‘business’, escaped jaguars, and the ever-present active volcano). The descriptions of the scenery draw the reader into the landscape and mood of Costa Rica and emphasise that here Costa Rica is more than just a backdrop; it is a catalyst that changes all who arrive there.
A challenging read then due to its unflinching treatment of a difficult subject (much of which is hinted at rather than overtly described, and is all the more effective for that), but ultimately one that draws you into the lives of ordinary, flawed, individuals dealing with an extraordinary situation. That such dark subject matter forms the basis of an ultimately redemptive story is testament to the quality of writing here...
That is not to say that the core issue is not taken seriously - indeed there are definite 'bad guys' here, but the novel acknowledges that there is not always a clear-cut definition of hero and villain, depending on perspective. This is encapsulated in the character of 'Jolly' aka 'Charles Lundy' a doctor who 'rescues' the young protagonist, Caleb (or Nicky as he is known in captivity) from a brutal and depraved paedophile ring, having been abducted at the age of 11. However, despite this seemingly altruistic act, Jolly tells Caleb that his parents are no longer looking for him and keeps him at his own house for a further 18 months before the FBI trace him. Jolly’s motives - and how exactly he obtained Caleb from the ring - are never made clear. The character of Jolly is mainly seen in flashback, through the prism of Caleb's memories - and Caleb's own perspective is never clear-cut; is he suffering from a form of Stockholm Syndrome in insisting that Jolly 'saved' him? Was he also abused by Jolly? Difficult questions.
The book opens with Caleb, now 14, returned to his parents and younger sister Lark by the FBI after being rescued. What should be an ecstatic reunion is, inevitably, a confused and difficult process for all concerned. Caleb is not the boy who disappeared 3 years before and the family and Caleb struggle to work through this. Caleb's father Jeff, especially struggles to connect having given Caleb up for dead - a fact that has led to a deep rift between him and Caleb's mother, Marlene. Caleb himself is unsettled and self-conscious being, as he sees it, ripped from the protective bubble that Jolly had kept him in and still traumatised by his previous experiences.
What impressed me most about this work is how the core plot of Caleb’s return is used, through the various characters, to explore issues of identity in various ways. This is most obviously seen in Caleb, who was not only known as ‘Nicky’ during his captivity, but inhabited Nicky as an alter-ego as a sort of defence mechanism – a persona he finds it hard to let go of. Marlene has also undergone a change in moving on from drug and alcohol addiction during Caleb’s disappearance to a decisive role in moving the family to Costa Rica to avoid the US media glare. Jeff’s identity is as a husband and father is challenged by Caleb’s return in less positive ways – Marlene cannot forgive him for giving Caleb up for dead and Jeff himself fails to connect with the newly-returned Caleb as a father; a role that falls to his wayward brother in Costa Rica, Lowell, whilst Jeff remains in the US.
Costa Rica itself is portrayed as a challenging place of extreme beauty (the main setting is the 'Cloud Forest’ nature reserve of Monteverde), occasional tedium (the place is shrouded in damp cloud and rain for long periods) and flashes of danger (Lowell’s mysterious and possibly illegal ‘business’, escaped jaguars, and the ever-present active volcano). The descriptions of the scenery draw the reader into the landscape and mood of Costa Rica and emphasise that here Costa Rica is more than just a backdrop; it is a catalyst that changes all who arrive there.
A challenging read then due to its unflinching treatment of a difficult subject (much of which is hinted at rather than overtly described, and is all the more effective for that), but ultimately one that draws you into the lives of ordinary, flawed, individuals dealing with an extraordinary situation. That such dark subject matter forms the basis of an ultimately redemptive story is testament to the quality of writing here...
October 12, 2019
Without dwelling on the horrors of kidnapping and molestation, I found the effect of this on the boy, Caleb, to be the most interesting part of this book. The psychological damage, the return to his family and how he was so different and compliant, was an aspect I had never thought or read much about. The writing was very good, the characterizations detailed enough that the book can hold its' own with other serious fiction, and is something that should be widely read in this time of child abductions. Too many of us think this is over when the kid is "rescued" and have no idea of the life and family altering effects of such a disturbing event.
February 17, 2020
This book was SO DISAPPOINTING! Took me forever to get into it then the whole story about the son's abduction and life as a child sex slave goes completely unexplained (not that we needed gory details...but come on), the story of their life after he's been found and the ending...let me tell you about the ending....WTF kind of ending is that!?! (This is in no way meant to be a good exclamation either!) 😴😴😴
November 7, 2017
Won this in a giveaway a few years ago and I’m finally able to write a review for it. It’s not the best, but it’s still pretty interesting. It makes you think about the different situations each character is in, and what exactly is going on in their heads. I even found myself wondering, “how would I be able to handle this?” It’s a good book for you if you really enjoy psychological reads.
July 13, 2017
Leftover from Alex Committee books. Rather a different plot--kidnapped boy returns 3 years later, adjustment, family issues, etc. Read it while Joe was in hospital. Interesting but not a page turner.
July 8, 2019
i got about 50 pages in and just couldnt finish it. The characters and the plot lines were so one dimensional not to mention that in those 50 pages nothing interesting happened. Do not waste your time with this one
August 3, 2019
It has everything there to be an amazing novel. Great plot. Interesting characters. Took quite awhile to get into. There wasn't enough information given on that happened to Caleb to really feel connected to the characters.
Also, the writing felt all over the place.
Also, the writing felt all over the place.
June 10, 2021
A well written book, but supremely discomforting since it’s about kidnapping and child abuse.
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