Review: A Child Alone With Strangers

A Child Alone With Strangers by Philip Fracassi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A Child Alone With Strangers by Philip Fracassi is a fantastic read. A thrilling ride that tells the tale of Henry, a young boy, who is recovering from a horrific incident that claimed the life of his father. While recovering from his physical injuries he realizes he also has gained insight into the emotions and feelings of those around him, but he soon adapts to living with his aunt and uncle, and life returns to something approaching normal. Normal, until, Henry is abducted and taken to a secluded cabin in the woods by his kidnappers to wait while their ransom demands are met. But Henry, and his captors, soon learn that something powerful doesn't want them at the cabin and will do everything it can to get them to leave.

I really enjoyed this story. It could easily have been told as "Home Alone In the Woods with Scary Monster", but that would have been mediocre at best. Instead, Fracassi provides plenty of terror and unpredictable twists, and complex, multidimensional characters I both loved and loved to hate. A Child Alone With Strangers speaks to the power of both love and hate, the need for redemption after failure and the universal desire to protect one's own.

View all my reviews