CW: Sexual abuse and torture of child held in captivity.

2.5 Stars ( )

Gut wrenching book that I read in one sitting. Ele is kept in a room where she has three books - the Alphabet, Fairy Tales and a field guide to British Trees. She lives there with The Others - three goblin like creatures and communicates by knocking on a wall with another prisoner Jack. She is kept there naked at the whim of Him who smells of Outside and does terrible things to her ( i.e rape and beatings). Over the course of Part 1 in the book, Ele recalls that her brother Zeb has been killed by Him and that she wants desperately yo escape to Outside, even though the Others don't think it is a good idea and one of them doesn't even believe it exists.

SPOILER ALERT: She escapes and is befriended by a nearby villager called Willow and his father Ezra, who are recovering from the death of Willow's mother. In true Scottish fashion, Ezra decides to "ask no questions" and helps Willow feed and clothe Ele and nurse her back to health, both physically and mentally. Eventually Willow learns about the Others and wants to go back and rescue them. He and his Dad have worked out where she has been kept prisoner because she has an American accent and only one strange guy in the Village is from the US who turns out to be her father (Yuk!). Together Ele and Willow decide to approach the farm where Ele was kept and it is there that they learn the truth about Jack, the Others and Zeb.

Ending is resolved well with a summing up chapter at the end where Ele reports on her conversations with her Psychiatrist.

I think that it is an authentic story as Ele learns the words for things like "extra skins" = "clothes" and suffers from Stockholm Syndrome as He has led her self-worth to be so degraded. This is one for Year 9-10, mature readers as there is no graphic descriptions but we, the readers, realise that He is raping and abusing his own daughter which is revolting. Would have to ensure the students are mature enough to handle it. ( )