Book Review: Jane Anonymous by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Book Review
Jane Anonymous by Laurie Faria Stolarz
Pub Date: 07 Jan 2020
Read courtesy of Netgalley.com

LOVED IT! I got almost half way through the book before I even stopped to make my usual notes. Gripping, engaging, accessible, and intriguing. Then when I did finally make my first note, it was to express how the box of brownies Jane has with her in captivity reminded me of Wilson in the movie "Castaway." And that's a good thing (for me) since I love watching that movie.

I cannot go into how much this book pulled me in, or I will give away some of the plot. Suffice it to say that I 😲OMG'ed to myself when the abductor was revealed. Since this genre isn't my usual fare, maybe I just wasn't able to piece things together, so I was wonderfully surprised. I'd rather like to think, though, that Stolarz did a great job of weaving a believable tale that allowed her reader to be, well, wonderfully surprised! I had another WOWOWOWOW moment about 85% through the story, which I also cannot describe without giving away some of the mystery. However, it occurred regarding a drawing when the psychological background of the abductor was being revealed. Stolarz crafted both believable characters and a plot that didn't use ploys to make it happen.

I also really liked the way Stolarz allowed Jane to organically find someone with whom she could click in order to get the help she needed after her kidnapping. It felt real or natural for a traumatized teen to reject the counselors her equally traumatized mother wanted her to see.

I also liked Stolarz's use of NOW and THEN to guide the reader through the story. My favorite use of this was between chapters 59 and 60. I liked that NOW chapter 59 was followed by another NOW chapter. It kept the reader in an important moment of the story.

Regarding the plot thread of the shelter dog, I did note to myself that "maybe it's too obvious a connection between Jane and the dog's plight, but maybe that's how it works in real life, too." And being a dog love, I'm glad that sometimes, yes, that's exactly what happens; we heal each other.

In both books and movies, I get the feeling it is really difficult to create an ending. While I was pleased that the story didn't have a tidy ending for Jane, the epilogue felt extraneous and forced, like Stolarz had to try to explain what really couldn't be explained... Jane just had to work through what happened to her, and leaving the reader with a dreamlike final explanation detracted from the work the reader knows Jane has ahead of her. Still, a 5 ☆☆☆☆☆!