Monday 25 July 2011

Book Review: Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott

Title: Living Dead Girl
Series: N/A
Author: Elizabeth Scott
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: 2nd September 2008
Pages: 188
Special Features: N/A
Goodreads Average Rating: 3.84
Once upon a time, I was a little girl who disappeared.
Once upon a time, my name was not Alice.
Once upon a time, I didn’t know how lucky I was.


When Alice was ten, Ray took her away from her family, her friends her life. She learned to give up all power, to endure all pain. She waited for the nightmare to be over.
Now Alice is fifteen and Ray still has her, but he speaks more and more of her death. He does not know it is what she longs for. She does not know he has something more terrifying than death in mind for her.
This is Alice’s story. It is one you have never heard, and one you will never, ever forget.

I would just like to start off my saying, this book isn't for everyone, it may be marked as a Young Adult, but some reader's will disagree with that.

Many people will use the word 'distrubing' to describe this book.... I would also use that word, but I would also use 'truth', I've seen many reviews where people have just hated it for it's content and what is said in the book, but many reader's have ignored the fact that this book may be fictional but is also 'real'.

It's a book full of raw emotion. Straight from the beginning we are told the horrible and sorrow-filled story of a girl. A girl, who was taken from a happy life full of freedom, and forced into the arms of a 'sick' and mentally dysfunctional man. It is a hard issue to tackle and I believe Elizabeth Scott did this to near enough perfection.

It is the first Elizabeth Scott book I've read, and I can't wait to read more. I became attached to her wonderful writing style and story idea's. The book in a whole is something which will always lingering in the back of my mind, never to be forgotten

The book is short, something which I'm not a big fan of when it's a book I really enjoy, but it's perfect for the story it tells.
It's far from a book full of useless information, it only tells what is needed to be said and this it's self gives such an effect to the reader. I guess you can almost say it's not a book to entertain, but instead a book to tell. It says that despite our happiness, there will always be someone suffering, someone who could even be close to us, a neighbor, or friend.... anyone!

The book in some places repeated it's self, for example the use of Once Upon A Time, this helped build the story line, but also the emotion. Each time we see Once Upon A Time, we are supplied with new information about 'Alice', this was probably my favourite bit about the whole book.

I do not know what to say about the character's in this book.
'Alice', is a character I believe I have no right to judge. Not only is she a fictional character in the book, but a fictional character to herself. She is not who she is by choice, but instead forced to be someone she is not. But still is an incredibly strong character.
Ray, is 'Alice's' kidnapper, the antagonist in the story. The reader is made to hate such a sick man, but I will admit there were times I found myself feeling quite sympathetic towards him. We witness fragments of his childhood, he like 'Alice' is not who he is by choice, but is also forced to be someone who he isn't, by the past he has experienced.

I could not find myself able to rate this any lower than five, because it deserves nothing less, it entertains (I guess could be said), it tells and most importantly it teaches.

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