The Detour

August 3, 2015
Bodeen (The Raft) explores the limits of borrowing in this tongue-in-cheek homage to Stephen King’s Misery. Bursting on the YA fiction scene as a powerhouse teen author, haughty Olivia Flynn enjoys the perks of her bestseller success—an expensive car, a cute online boyfriend she has yet to meet, and adoring fans—after years of being the target of bullies. When an accident on a secluded Oregon road leaves her captive to a controlling woman named Peg and her psychotic daughter, Olivia must overcome hunger, injuries, and Peg’s lecherous cousin, Wesley, in order to escape. Peg’s ominous hints as to why Olivia has been taken (“You have to figure it out. You have to remember. Or it doesn’t mean anything”) and Wesley’s probing questions concerning Olivia’s boyfriend are overly transparent, leaving little mystery despite the fast-paced and suspenseful story line. Though flat dialogue can detract from the tension created, Bodeen’s nod to Misery and the twin themes of intellectual property and publishing trends are thought-provoking as Olivia’s horrific experience helps transform her from narcissistic writer to well-rounded college student. Ages 12–up. Agent: Scott Mendel, Mendel Media Group.

August 1, 2015
Seventeen-year-old Livvy Flynn isn't your average teenager: she is a New York Times bestselling author with a movie deal, a dinner date with Steven Spielberg, and serious money in the bank. Instead of spending her weekends at high school football games or sleeping over at friends' houses, Livvy goes on book tours and speaks at writing conferences. Being the young envy of writers everywhere suits Livvy just fine, until one fateful trip to a writing retreat gets derailed. Livvy wakes up after wrecking her car to discover she's a prisoner, hurt and trapped in a basement in the middle of nowhere, held by a crazy woman and her even crazier daughter. The two seem hellbent on making Livvy pay for an injustice she has no memory of committing, and they have no intention of letting her go until she figures it out. Even Livvy admits that her situation is more than a little reminiscent of Stephen King's Misery. The difference is that Livvy is so frustratingly dim and full of herself that she's difficult to root for. Even a confession about the pain of past bullying isn't enough to sustain readers' sympathy. While nobody should endure that kind of physical harm, Livvy's "the universe owes me" attitude is likely to turn off even the most otherwise simpatico teen writers-to-be. Stay on the main roads instead of taking this detour. (Thriller. 12-16)

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September 1, 2015

Gr 7 Up-Livvy, a successful, narcissistic teen novelist, crashes her car on the way to a writers retreat. The last thing she remembers before passing out is a creepy little girl coming at her through the window of her car. When she comes to, she discovers to her horror that she is being held prisoner in the basement of a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. Her captors, a middle-age woman and her unhinged flute-playing daughter, seem to hold a deep grudge against Livvy and plan to hold her until she figures out what she's done wrong and apologizes. As the young novelist devises her plot to escape, she analyzes her own history, puzzling out what the woman and her creepy kid could have against her. As readers learn more about the protagonist's childhood, they better understand her prickly personality. This work pays homage to Stephen King's Misery but is definitely more thriller than horror. Following the bread crumbs, discerning readers will figure out the twist long before Livvy sees it coming, but there is still a lot of satisfaction in watching Livvy's dawning understanding. VERDICT With a tidy plot and a heroine readers will eventually warm up to, this is a solid choice for thriller and mystery fans who aren't quite ready for Stephen King.-Leighanne Law, Scriber Lake High School, WA

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