Book Review: Hostage by Karen Tayleur
It’s Christmas Eve and Tully’s grandpa
(a.k.a. gramps) needs new medication. Tully hurries to the pharmacy and waits
in line, when suddenly a man walks in. He pushes to the front of the line and
demands medication that he cannot receive. In fury, this mysterious man grabs
Tully by the throat, with a knife, and pulls her into his car. She will remain
inside for over 24 hours. Karen Tayleur’s ‘Hostage’, is a mysterious and
emotional novel that follows the abduction of the main character, Tully.
Tully, the protagonist, distrusts many
people because of her mother’s saying “everyone will one day let you down” and she
is very assertive especially when talking about her mother. This strong
relationship with her single mother was created due to the many years that they
spent alone together. Her father had left a long time ago and now her mother
has left as well. However, she still has a strong belief that one day her
mother will return. She retells her life’s stories (including the abduction) to
the investigating officer who is curiously determined to complete this strange
case.
‘Hostage’ shows the other side of the
villain/antagonist that much of the time we do not see. Tully has met the
abductor before (Griffin Sorenson) through a party and has seen him many times
hanging around the pharmacy. She soon realises it’s him when she calms down and
stops trying to escape. They slowly open up to each other and Tully soon
realises that he is not so bad after all; he just made a ‘silly mistake’. They talk to each other about their life’s
stories and converse about their families and slowly develop an unconditional
bond.
Tully lives with her grandpa and Aunt Laney
who are completely contrasting characters. Laney is bossy and prudent whereas
‘Gramps’ is calm and forgiving. These opposites in characteristics are not only
shown between these two central characters but throughout the whole story.
Tayleur has emphasised each and every character by contrasting them and helps
develop each one as its own idea and creates the characters individual
identity.
Karen Tayleur has created a story with so
many different characters that on first glance it would seem impossible that it
would come together to form a novel. However she has managed to do just that
and has developed many themes that go along with it as well. One of the major
and most blatant themes is “Trust comes too easily”. This is one of her
mother’s beliefs and has now been lost in the back of Tully’s mind. She trusts
Griffin because she has seen him many times and still does not understand the
implications of trusting someone who has abducted you. A smaller but more
fabled theme is “family is what keeps you safe”. This is evident for both Tully
and Griffin. Tully’s family tries to keep her out of trouble by sending her to
the local school and allowing her to work. Griffin’s family however does
completely the opposite and does not try as hard and therefore have created an
emotionally unstable character that has lost his way. These contrasts help
emphasise each other and depicts two different peoples who reconcile and become
friends with one another.
‘Hostage’ is a novel that simply can’t be
missed. It explores the nooks and crannies that we usually pay little attention
to. It discusses the issues of children that have lost parents and that Once
you’ve finished reading it you will begin to understand how the tiniest details
can really change the big picture. As the saying goes; ‘Big things come in
small packages’.
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