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Unstolen
The thing about being the unstolen one is that you'd better be strong, you'd better stay safe, you'd better not rock any boats or surely they will sink. People depend on you, people who can't take any more stress in their lives and you'd better count yourself lucky because after all, you weren't taken, you're still here and you better be grateful for all that's been given to you because your brother sure didn't get anything ...Bethany Fisher's life has always been overshadowed by her missing brother. Four-year-old Michael was abducted when Bethany was a baby and no trace of him was ever found. Twenty years later, Bethany is a college graduate and has a small son of her own. But her life is thrown into turmoil one evening when her mother follows a man home from the supermarket and savagely beats him to death. What could have made this mild, middle-aged woman suddenly snap? Packing the emotional punch of "The Lovely Bones", this powerful novel explores how the comforting lies we tell ourselves can be ultimately more destructive than confronting difficult truths.
- GenresFictionMystery Thriller
311 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
4 people are currently reading
59 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
March 14, 2009
'Unstolen' is Wendy Jean's debut novel and is inspired by true events that happened in the early 1990s in Canada. Unstolen is the story of the child in the family that is left behind, not abducted - unstolen.
Narrated by 19 year old Bethany Fisher, the sister of Michael who was abducted when she was only a baby. Although Bethany is only 19 years old, she has had to grow up very fast, she is already a mother herself and works for the police as a sketch artist and has also had some children's books published. Bethany's entire life has revolved around Michael's disappearance and her Mother's unwillingness to accept that he is gone forever. Bethany's mother became obsessed with finding him and is prepared for his re-appearrance at all times - buying him new clothes and shoes and wrapping gifts for him every birthday and Christmas. Bethany would love Michael to return too - maybe then she could have a normal life like that of her friends.
It is not until Bethany's mother commits a terrible crime that the small family are able to talk to each other properly and honestly and look at how Michael's disappearance has affected them all.
This novel has been compared to Alice Sebold's 'The Lovely Bones', I preferred 'Unstolen' - I found it more realistic and warm.
Narrated by 19 year old Bethany Fisher, the sister of Michael who was abducted when she was only a baby. Although Bethany is only 19 years old, she has had to grow up very fast, she is already a mother herself and works for the police as a sketch artist and has also had some children's books published. Bethany's entire life has revolved around Michael's disappearance and her Mother's unwillingness to accept that he is gone forever. Bethany's mother became obsessed with finding him and is prepared for his re-appearrance at all times - buying him new clothes and shoes and wrapping gifts for him every birthday and Christmas. Bethany would love Michael to return too - maybe then she could have a normal life like that of her friends.
It is not until Bethany's mother commits a terrible crime that the small family are able to talk to each other properly and honestly and look at how Michael's disappearance has affected them all.
This novel has been compared to Alice Sebold's 'The Lovely Bones', I preferred 'Unstolen' - I found it more realistic and warm.
July 17, 2013
4.5 stars
This is an emotional journey into the life of the 'unstolen' sister of Michael. It is inspired by the true story of Michael Dunahee's abduction in Canada in the early 1990's.
The characters were very well developed. Bethany feels like a friend of mine now, and it was sad to read the last sentence. A very nice and thorough dramatic realistic story that treats the psychological and emotional side of a family whose boy was abducted, and how it affected every member of the family, especially the sister.
This is an emotional journey into the life of the 'unstolen' sister of Michael. It is inspired by the true story of Michael Dunahee's abduction in Canada in the early 1990's.
The characters were very well developed. Bethany feels like a friend of mine now, and it was sad to read the last sentence. A very nice and thorough dramatic realistic story that treats the psychological and emotional side of a family whose boy was abducted, and how it affected every member of the family, especially the sister.
March 8, 2009
I really liked this book! So much that when I left it at work I almost drove back to get it at 10 o'clock at night! It's sad, eery and moving, certainly makes you think. I think the characters are really well established, and it has a twist of many different genres. I'll probably read it again at some point. Loved it!
June 5, 2012
I read this book a few years ago, and only recently remembered the name, although I remember everything else about the book. Deep and powerful story.
May 9, 2025
I find it surprising that there are so very few reviews for Unstolen on Goodreads. It is a beautiful book and written with a lot of insight and even humour. It also seems to be Wendy Jean's only novel, which is a tragedy. This was in our recommended section of our library so fortunately people do seem to appreciate it. Maybe the book has an underground following? It's compared with Lovely Bones which I also enjoyed but I don't really see a valid comparison. It's two completely different stories and writing styles and Unstolen is more my cup of tea. It's funny that the previous book I read was also about an abducted child (Call Me Mummy). I didn't do it on purpose, but both were 5 star reads for me.
August 29, 2021
Het verhaal hapert af en toe en de fragmenten waarin ze een kind is komen soms wat ongeloofwaardig over, vooral in het taal. Maar al bij al een interessant portret van een verscheurd gezin.
May 21, 2019
A well written, captivating story
Want to read
March 13, 2024Bethany Fisher war noch ein Baby, als ihr vierjähriger Bruder Michael entführt wurde. Dennoch vermisst sie ihn schmerzlich. Ihre Mutter ist nie über den Verlust hinweggekommen und widmet all ihre Zeit der Suche nach dem verlorenen Sohn – statt der Erziehung der anwesenden Tochter. Obwohl Bethany als Kind unter der fehlenden Fürsorge litt, wächst sie zu einer jungen Frau heran, die glaubt, mit beiden Beinen fest im Leben zu stehen. Bis sie eines Abends einen Anruf erhält, dass ihre Mutter verhaftet wurde, weil sie einen Mann grausam zu Tode geschlagen hat ...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 30, 2020
Very nicely constructed and written, digging deeper and deeper into the reasons why events happened.
Read
December 4, 2020A girl brought up in a household with the tangible and intangible remnants, in every moment, on every occasion, of an elder brother stolen years ago, when she was just a few months old. A story about how she had been raised in the presence of his absence, how at a tender age she was burdened with the fact that she was lucky to be the unstolen one, and how this extra baggage of responsibilities and existence shaped her.
Characterized by subtle giveaways of various plot points, starting with the climactic incident and unraveling the story thereon, the book doles out critical information and details with a noticeable ease, complimenting the story telling. For once, you are taken aback, surprised by the ease with which certain revelations have been made; forcing you to pause, step back and wonder how such a thing could be fitted in those countable words. You re-read to confirm if the act is actually mentioned, and the subtlety thus adds a certain charm and credibility to the story telling.
Alternatively moving between the past and the present, quite literally with each chapter, slowly unravelling the mystery behind the foundation of the story, revealing the thread that connects the two or rather the thread that the two share. There is an alternate symmetry in the entire book, almost about everything, be it hopping between the past and present with each chapter, or hopping between words said and unsaid, or the actions of the characters, hopping from one to the other, or an alternating subject line. This gives a distinct kind of frame and setup to the story, depicting alternatively the narrator as a kid and now when she is a grown up. We are introduced to these distinct worlds, contrasting innocent childish fantasies to the grown up maturity with which she faces the twists and turns of life, yet a distinct tinge of childlike innocence and characteristics to each.
The book tries us to show how, at times, being a human and having the ability to vent out our emotions is a blessing and how one shouldn’t avoid confronting one’s emotions, how sometimes our coping mechanisms and our definition of being strong do us more harm than just making us seem vulnerable and human. It shows us that at times we are so engrossed in our own loss, in fighting our own fights, that we tend to overlook the harm an event and our reactionary behavior might be causing our loved ones and those around us.
The book is an emotional roller coaster ride, a fine example of wonderful story telling and a great read.
Characterized by subtle giveaways of various plot points, starting with the climactic incident and unraveling the story thereon, the book doles out critical information and details with a noticeable ease, complimenting the story telling. For once, you are taken aback, surprised by the ease with which certain revelations have been made; forcing you to pause, step back and wonder how such a thing could be fitted in those countable words. You re-read to confirm if the act is actually mentioned, and the subtlety thus adds a certain charm and credibility to the story telling.
Alternatively moving between the past and the present, quite literally with each chapter, slowly unravelling the mystery behind the foundation of the story, revealing the thread that connects the two or rather the thread that the two share. There is an alternate symmetry in the entire book, almost about everything, be it hopping between the past and present with each chapter, or hopping between words said and unsaid, or the actions of the characters, hopping from one to the other, or an alternating subject line. This gives a distinct kind of frame and setup to the story, depicting alternatively the narrator as a kid and now when she is a grown up. We are introduced to these distinct worlds, contrasting innocent childish fantasies to the grown up maturity with which she faces the twists and turns of life, yet a distinct tinge of childlike innocence and characteristics to each.
The book tries us to show how, at times, being a human and having the ability to vent out our emotions is a blessing and how one shouldn’t avoid confronting one’s emotions, how sometimes our coping mechanisms and our definition of being strong do us more harm than just making us seem vulnerable and human. It shows us that at times we are so engrossed in our own loss, in fighting our own fights, that we tend to overlook the harm an event and our reactionary behavior might be causing our loved ones and those around us.
The book is an emotional roller coaster ride, a fine example of wonderful story telling and a great read.
November 19, 2013
Good tale based on a true story of an American child abduction. Bethany is the 'unstolen' child - her brother, Michael, was taken at age 4 when she was just a baby but she spends her whole life trying to get the attention of her mother, who is obsessed and convinced that Michael will come back home, even when Bethany is an adult. An out-of-character event sees Bethany's mother accused of the murder of a man who has abducted and murdered several children but has no memory of the incident. By delving into her past (as the reader is in alternate chapters), Bethany must help her mother dredge up the memories of what she has done and why. Interesting and quite gripping read.
October 25, 2015
This was a good read. Two stories are running together through the book-in the present we have a woman who is arrested for murdering a child killer, and showing how her daughter Bethany and the family are coping with the media. The other story is flashbacks to Bethany's childhood where her mother is coping with the abduction of her son Michael when he was 4 and her obsession that he is still alive and waiting to come home.It is very well written and shows the trauma that a child abduction has on the whole family.
September 17, 2015
Surprisingly, I found myself enjoying this story.
This is a book from the unstolen perspective. From the perspective of a sister whose brother abducted and how the abduction is not only stole his brother from her, but also her family, herself.
However, life's goes on. But the empty hole stays there filling the silence as a ghost of missing brother.
Wendy Jean delivered an emotional story through this book. Worth to read.
This is a book from the unstolen perspective. From the perspective of a sister whose brother abducted and how the abduction is not only stole his brother from her, but also her family, herself.
However, life's goes on. But the empty hole stays there filling the silence as a ghost of missing brother.
Wendy Jean delivered an emotional story through this book. Worth to read.
October 7, 2007
the unfair love from mom
February 3, 2008
This book raised an interesting question that made you stop and think while you were reading it "What happens to the unstolen one?"...
May 12, 2008
Very interesting way to look at the family left behind when one child disappears.
November 26, 2013
This is a story about a child whose brother was abducted when she was a baby and how it affected her life. Based on a true story.
Read
November 12, 2014Levenslang
May 1, 2016
Took me back to the kind of books we used to read in school.
August 9, 2010
Loved the book... Explored alot of feelings..
July 25, 2012
Excellent! A very easy read.
December 31, 2017
THIS IS BASED ON A TRUE STORY AND IS A GOOD BOOK IT FLICKS BACK BETWEEN THE CHILDHOOD OF THE GIRL WHO'S BROTHER WENT MISSING AND HER MOTHERS REFUSAL TO ACCEPT HE WAS NOT COMING BACK ONE DAY THERE IS ALSO THE PRESENT AND THE WAY THE MOTHERS BEHAVIOUR HAS IMPACTED ON ALL THE FAMILY AND IS STILL AFFECTING THEM LEADING TO HER HAVING TO ACCEPT THE TRUTH WHICH IS PAINFUL FOR THEM ALL
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews