Book Review: After We Were Stolen by Brooke Beyfuss

My Rating:

 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Prepare, endure, and thrive,”

Our protagonist, nineteen-year-old Avery is one of twelve members living in a secluded survivalist commune, “Clovelite”. Their “Father” is the dominant male in the group. The children are trained in survival skills, harshly disciplined, and “prepped” for doomsday because “Nothing on the outside was going to last. We would last.” However, as the narrative progresses Avery is subject to much abuse and cruelty on the instruction of her Father, apparently in the greater interest of their commune.

When a fire wipes out the whole commune, Avery and her sixteen-year-old brother Cole are known to be the only survivors. They escape the compound and relying on their survival skills manage to fend for themselves “out there” for almost three months before they are arrested for shoplifting. In a shocking turn of events, they are identified as missing children, who were abducted years ago from their respective families presumably by the cult members. Cole’s parents claim him and Avery is left to pick up the pieces and get her life together in a shelter. Her life as she knew it had been a lie – her “parents” were kidnappers, Cole was not her real brother and "Avery" wasn't even her real name. Excessive media attention and the mysterious circumstances that led to the horrific fire also cause concern. The local police harbor suspicions regarding the cause of the fire that caused the death of the cult members as Avery struggles to piece together the events of that fateful night.

“I wasn’t who I became, and I wasn’t who I was when I disappeared. I was a hybrid person, caught in limbo between what I thought I knew and what was true.”

Needless to say, this is not an easy read and has some extremely dark and disturbing moments. However, as we follow Avery as she tries to accept and overcome the upheaval in her life and attempt to move forward, we also see moments of hope, friendship, support and above all courage and resilience. Much attention is given to the emotional and psychological aspects of Avery’s efforts to cope with her traumatic past and accept her new reality. The build-up towards the final revelation is very well-executed. With its superb characterizations, well-developed plot structure and progression and powerful writing, After We Were Stolen by Brooke Beyfuss is an impressive debut. The ending did feel a bit abrupt but does not detract from the overall reading experience. I found this to be an absorbing read and finished it in one day.

The Author’s Note at the very beginning of the book includes trigger warnings for the content in the novel - a kind and considerate gesture on the part of the author that I truly appreciate.

I received a digital review copy of this novel from Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.