In Camden, NJ in 1948, a little girl named Sally Horner just wants some friends. That's why she agrees to accompany some other girls to the Woolworth's and agree to shoplift something. However, Sally has no idea that she's being observed by 52 year-old Frank Horner, a very dangerous man. She also has no idea that Frank will confront her outside the store, telling her that he's an FBI agent who can have her arrested if she doesn't do as she says. From there, Sally's life becomes a nightmare as she lies to her mother, who initially believes Sally is going on a vacation with a friend's family, and goes with Frank to first Atlantic City and then west to San Jose. Frank, you see, is a truly unpleasant person who is just out of prison, where he's been serving time for crimes against young girls.
This novel, based on the experiences of real-life kidnapping victim Sally Horner and her captor, follows the next two years of Sally's life. Over that time, Sally's sister is determined to find her, even as Sally's mother slowly falls apart. Sally, meanwhile, is slowly understanding that Frank is not who he says he is. As he eventually mentally and physically assaults Sally, she tries to reach out for help from the people she encounters as Frank moves the two of them from place to place.
This book is quite well-written and from the start establishes both a steady and unrelenting pace, along with an underlying sense of deep dread. Fans of true crime may enjoy it more than fans of historical fiction.
I will admit, I found this book very difficult to read at times. Without spoiling the ending, I will say that it's a pretty awful story. There are so many times that someone near to Sally thinks she is in danger, and then is unable to help her (or just doesn't see that she is truly in danger). Those close calls, each time ending up with a disappointment, break your heart each time they happen. This book is both heart-pounding and heart-wrenching. I frequently found parts of it awful, although I found it increasingly difficult to put this book down because I could not look away from the story, and could not stop feeling like I needed to be a witness (of sorts) to what Sally had endured.
This story is based on the real story of Sally Horner an 11-year-old kidnapping victim whose abduction in 1948 inspired Nabokov's book Lolita. I am not a fan of Lolita and after reading this find it disturbing that Nabokov found Sally's story an inspiration for what he wrote. At least in this book, Greenwood gives a voice to Sally. The author notes that a lot of research went into this book, although "Of course, no one but Sally and Frank knows what occurred as they traveled from Camden to Atlantic City..." However, the author is able to so honestly and vividly imagine what occurred that you feel connected not only to Sally but to some of the people she encountered, including the person who ultimately was able to finally help her.
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