Stolen Identity

by Viann Prestwich

For as long as he could remember, the most prevalent thing on Michael's mind had been excape--escape from the pain, excape from the man who inflicted it, and escape from the hopelessness of his dusty Nevada home. To Michael, Utah seems like the perfect place to begin a new life. But after years of molding himself into the man his father never thought he could be, Michael must numb himself to pain once again as he lays broken and bleeding in the red desert sand. Will he ever see his livong wife Laura again-- or the child they have come to love as their own? This stunning page turner, set against a backdrip of richly developed characters, confirms that miracles do happen--but not alway in the way we expect.

Genres: Lds Fiction, Fiction

278 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Michael grew up with an abusive father and 'for as long as he could remember, the most prevalent thing on Michael's mind had been escape.' Finally, he does escape-- to Utah, where he finds friendship, purpose, love-- and most of all, himself. But someone wants to take it all away from him-- what can he do? This is an excellent book with well-drawn, very human, characters. Fabulous!" (My review from 1/8/2005).

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had a good storyline. There were some problems with missing information, and some parts left us hanging. I would like to have known if Michael ever resolved his relationship with his father.
The audio was horrible! Like another reviewer mention: no emotion. No breaks between (some parts felt like a run on sentence). It left much to be desired. I really felt like an AI reading it (until a part where she sang), but this left out so much emotion, that parts fell flat.

The ending was abrupt. I felt like she could’ve done a few more chapters, and then the epilogue.

Overall, the audiobook really threw me for a loop. I can’t recommend listening to this. The storyline had a lot of promise, so I would suggest reading it.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story but it often felt rushed. I would recommend it as a good read but it's probably not one I will re read. I liked the main character Michael and his strength to get out of a horrible childhood and do whatever it took to improve his life. He also did what he could to improve the situations for his mom and sister. It just felt like the story jumped time so much to put it all in one book that a lot of character development was missed in supporting people.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the title of this book, I was expecting some kind of mystery with someone’s identity actually being stolen. That never even comes up in this book. I kept waiting for it. It’s not a bad story. But the ending was very abrupt. I felt like there needed to be a few more chapters just to tie up the loose ends.

[Kari · Rating 2 out of 5]

You wonder the whole time about the stolen identity part. It doesn't make sense till the end of the book. But I love the transformation of the character Michael.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It's about Michael and his sister who have been abused by their father for many years. Michael finally runs away when he turns 18 and ends up joining the church and going on a mission. He also finds a job in a halfway house for the mentally ill. I thought the title was a little misleading, because the book wasn't about someone having their credit cards stolen. I thought it was pretty true-to-life. Some parts were really funny; others, heartbreaking.

[R · Rating 4 out of 5]

The family listened to this on tape while traveling and enjoyed it. This is LDS fiction so it is clean but still has a good plot line. It takes place in Silicon Valley so we enjoyed the references to local places. Don't read the back cover because it really doesn't apply to the majority of the book.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable story. The look into mental illness wasn't deep, but it was still interesting and saddening at the same time.

I liked the characters, and how the religious aspects of the story were natural and not in your face.

[Tfox100 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book. When I picked it up, though I was expecting a bit more of a thriller or mystery. The cover and title are very deceiving. It was a good story, but untill the last 50 pages or so, had nothing to do with stolen identities. Not much of a thriller, just a good story.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned that it's not just financial theft that steals our identity. Mental illness and abuse steals it too. I really liked Michael's character and how he joined the Church, loved his family, and finally was able to forgive his father.

[Kevin Smith]

This book starts out slow at first but then picks up as the story goes on. Good story for those who know or work with the handicapped. It also tells about the struggles of a young man raised in poverty and his success story.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a refreshing LDS novel with a unique story line. It wasn't ultra-predictable or exhausting like other LDS books I've read lately. I liked this book.

[Dawnetta · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the human aspects that this book brings to characters who have a mental illness. This book brings a real look into their lives while enjoying a good read.

[Lorie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book for me right now. Not sure it was the best book out there though .

[Amy S · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first page gives the idea this book is going to be a mystery or thriller or something but then most of the story is the coming-of-age and conversion story for a young man who grew up in an abusive home in Las Vegas and escaped his past by traveling to Utah looking for more information on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Secondary to his story is the story of his love interest who grew up affluent and is slowly growing out of her spoiled sense of entitlement and self-absorption. It's only when we get to the final chapters that the criminal element really starts causing problems and the young man's past becomes a threat to his future.
The majority of the book deals heavily with themes of mental illness, neglect, abuse, and poverty.
I found the story engaging, the characters interesting and well developed, the pace was steady, and the settings creative.
Some violence, no sex, no swearing, scenes of neglect and abuse of children.