Pretty Girl Thirteen
"On the whole I did enjoy this book..."
Synopsis:
Angie Chapman was thirteen years old when she ventured into the woods alone on a Girl Scouts camping trip. Now she's returned home…only to find that its three years later and she's sixteen - or at least that's what everyone tells her. What happened to the past three years of her life? Angie doesn't know. But there are people who do, people who could tell Angie every detail of her forgotten time, if only they weren't locked inside her mind. With a tremendous amount of courage, Angie embarks on a journey to discover the fragments of her personality, otherwise known as her 'alters'. As she unearths more and more about her past, she discovers a terrifying secret and must decide: When you remember things you wish you could forget, do you destroy the parts of yourself that are responsible?
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Review:
Whilst Angie is a character that is easy enough to like, the family dynamics and parents' response seem to be somewhat unrealistic. As the plot unfolds, more information regarding her whereabouts for the past three years comes to light. Although the idea behind this book seems like a great plot, somehow it did not translate very well. Some parts of the story seem to be unnecessary and I was unable to find any relevance for their inclusion. Also, the details regarding who had taken her and how Angie got home were not explained in any great detail which left me feeling slightly cheated. The concept of multiple personality was interesting and could have been turned into a great story. However, the only twist was, to me, very transparent and obvious. I also felt that there was no emotion connection with either Angie or her 'alters'. Had there been, this would have increased my empathy and interest for her. Without spoiling the plot, another story in Angie's life came to light, but again there was no real closure on this. On the whole I did enjoy this book but I feel it could have been done better and there were opportunities that were missed which could have turned this from an acceptable read to an edge of the seat ride. However, even if it is not highly recommended, it is still worth reading.