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Angela J. (Highlands Ranch, CO)
(02/27/13)
Where You Can Find Me by Sheri Joseph
I found the book to be overly long, even disjointed at times. At times, I felt I had missed a page or two because nothing made sense, and found myself going back several pages to see if I had missed something. It had an interesting premise, but unfortunately, "The Deep End of the Ocean" by Jacquelyn Mitchard already had written about this subject, and did a much better job.
Barbara G. (Lisle, IL)
(02/27/13)
A Way to Healing Is Found After Unthinkable Horror
An 11-year old boy is kidnapped by a sexual predator, subjected to drugging and sexual abuse by numerous men. He is later "rescued" by one of these men and kept as the man's "son." Where You Can Find Me is the story of a family's response to the disappearance and the miraculous recovery of the boy four years later.
This story about an ugly horror that is hidden from most of our society is set against the backdrop of the beauty of Nicaragua's lush forests and teeming wildlife. It contemplates what binds a family together and what threatens to tear it apart, showing the disparate reactions of a fierce mother, a confused father, a sister just becoming old enough to understand what her brother has suffered, a wayward uncle who suddenly finds himself in the position of the stable protector, and a grandmother trying to find her own way.
Returned to this family, the boy must make decisions about what love really is and if he can re-enter the family he barely remembers, still emotionally pulled toward the man who "saved" him, and although raising him as his son, still continued the sexual abuse.
Mary P. (Bellingham, WA)
(02/26/13)
Where you can find me
This novel would usually be something I avoid because it involves child abuse. That said, I found it to be thought-provoking in a way that I had not thought of before. How does a person find themselves after a mind-bending event? Caleb was kidnapped when he was eleven, and returned to his family three years later. He finds himself wondering who he really is, how should he behave--as the family would want him to be, or what? And his family has to figure out how to relate to him. It's about finding one's place, parallel to introducing captive animals to their natural habitat, another part of the novel. The story is multi-layered, with beautiful descriptions of the setting, Costa Rica, and intricate, complicated characters. An analogy might be digging among tree roots and figuring out how they intersect, how one part leads to another, how they are related to each other, how they go back to the trunk.
Sarah N. (Corte Madera, CA)
(02/26/13)
I am still looking...
Where You Can Find Me by Sheri Joseph is a great idea, but I found it confusing at times. At least four times while reading the book, I found myself going back to see if I had missed a page because what I was reading didn't make sense. I also found the plot line disturbing as a parent, yet I couldn't put the book down. I did read it and I did want to know how it ended. I did like most of the characters.
Carol N. (San Jose, CA)
(02/22/13)
Where You Can Find Me
A dark, incandescent novel that covers the Vincent family's struggle to return to their life together after having experienced the horrific kidnapping of 14 year old Caleb. Seeking sanctuary from the throes of the incident and the media, the family, sans the father, flees to Grandma's Cloud Forest Retreat in Costa Rica. Life in Costa Rica is not as a quiet and unassuming as expected.
Not for the faint of heart, this book contains some pretty explicit pedophile and perverted actions featuring underage children. An emotionally complex story that stays with the reader well after having turned that last page. If you don't mind going to the dark corners of your soul - this book is for you, As for this reviewer, I wish I had not gone there. This heavy duty, sad read was not easy to experience.
Kimberly H. (Stamford, CT)
(02/20/13)
Where You Will Find Me
Wonderful writing although a bit disjointed at times and too long. As much as it seems Caleb (main character) may come out of his major ordeal, I felt it left too many unknowns about the characters. Unbelievable at times but certainly readable and interesting approach on the subject matter.
Dawn C. (Meridian, ID)
(02/19/13)
Where Can You Find Me by Sheri Joseph
This book takes an all too familiar from the headlines today and turns it into a good novel. An 11 year old gets snatched after his birthday and is not found for 3 years. The boys parents try desperately to find him, and when they get him returned the mother runs away with him to Costa Rica because of the press. It is a good story, but gets slow in spots, and the plot seems to fizzle some, but all-in-all I enjoyed this novel.
Judy M. (East Haven, CT)
(02/19/13)
Where You Can Find Me
I was drawn into the story immediately, but found that when I was 3/4 done with the book I gave up. I had expected to have the story be more about Caleb, his experience and the effect this had on the family. Although I believe that was what this book was intending to be - I missed it. I was disinterested in Marlene, Lowell and most of the characters ... and felt that it went on & on never giving me what I wanted in a read. Part of me feels that I just missed the whole point of the book, and the other part was never drawn in further to are.