Living+Dead+Girl

= = Living Dead Girl by [|Elizabeth Scott].


 * **Reading level:** Young Adult
 * **Paperback:** 176 pages
 * **Publisher:** Simon Pulse; Reprint edition (September 8, 2009)

Surprisingly, at the age of 15, Alice has become too old for Ray, the man who kidnapped her five years ago. Before Ray releases his clutches on poor Alice, however, her last duty as “his daughter” is to seek out a newer, younger little girl to take her place. With desperate determination, Alice stops at no lengths to find the perfect child that can satisfy Ray’s pedophilic appetite. Even if it is wrong.

“Living Dead Girl” narrates the story of Alice, a girl suffering from sexual, physical and psychological abuse that started at age 10 and we fast forward, five years later. We learn of Alice’s life before being kidnapped, before she was renamed Alice, before she was brutally raped and before she had to leave her family, friends and her true identity behind. This story is a real slap in the face for those more comfortable with cliché teen romance stories or the ones with happy endings. There are no heartthrobs or handsome, mysterious guys who will save Alice in the end; there is no “falling in love” with anyone in the story by Alice or the readers.

Recurring themes of “Living Dead Girl,” include all forms of child abuse, inner conflict within the main character, and the foreshadowed hopelessness that all the readers feel toward Alice’s future. Since being kidnapped, Alice has not only lost her innocence to a pedophile, but any hopes, happiness, or dreams of a better tomorrow have been infinitely crushed. When the opportunity arises for her to finally be free, Alice already begins calculating how she can get the perfect replacement for Ray. Readers will follow Alice, as her desire to leave behind her life as an abused sex slave battles against the immorality of her actions.

Overall, the story is written very well in its solemn, morbid manner and Alice’s experiences are described so realistically, that this book is about as close to torture as you can get. I highly recommend “Living Dead Girl” to anyone looking for an eye-opening experience but caution applies to those uncomfortable with the subject of rape, pedophilia, and abuse.

Amanda Loeung Homeroom: D-02