When Lena is kidnapped by a stranger and taken to a remote cabin in the woods, she is forced to rely on him for her every need - not just the food she eats and the clothes she wears, but the very air she breathes. 
At first Lena is convinced that she will be rescued. But as the years go by, and she is forced to bear her captor's children, she gives up all hope of ever being found. 

When Lena eventually escapes and is rushed to hospital with her young daughter, the mystery only deepens. Despite the fact that she looks like Lena and has the same identifying scars, Lena's parents insist this is not their daughter, and instead focus their attention on Lena's daughter, Hannah, who looks exactly like the daughter they lost. 

As the police work to unravel the truth about who is who and what is what, further secrets come to light. It seems that no-one is telling the full truth...least of all Lena herself....

I've read several books now which are based along similar lines to "Room" by Emma Donoghue, some of them disappointing copies, others genuinely original and well executed. Thankfully this is one of the latter, with the story not just being about Lena's life in captivity, but also about the mystery surrounding Lena's identity. The characters are beautifully developed, and the story unfolds brilliantly - it's well told, well paced, and genuinely shocking. I also loved that I didn't guess the last twists - I feel like a lot of the time, because I read books like this so frequently, I can see them coming a mile off, but with this one I was genuinely flummoxed. 
I don't want to say too much for fear of spoilers, but I would highly recommend this novel - it's a dark story with lots of twists, and I loved that the reader is constantly questioning the reliability of the narrator(s) as it lent an extra dimension of distrust and interest. 

An engaging, thought-provoking, and thoroughly thrilling read. 

Thank you to NetGalley, who provided me with a free ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Quercus Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

One of my top 10 psychological thrillers of 2019/20.

There are simply not enough adjectives to describe the utter brilliance of Romy Hausman’s “Dear Child”. I would go as far as to say that this novel is one of my top 10 reads of2019/20. It is thrilling, eerie, suspenseful and in the best traditions of novels in this genre - unpredictable and addictive. There is not much more I can add to the blurb other than to say that this is a particularly topical novel with real life cases of women and young girls being abducted and forced to live a sick parody of domesticity by their kidnapper ‘husbands’. This novel has a twist, however, because we are not sure if the main protagonist of the novel is really Lena, a young woman abducted years before. I will no say. more - my lips are sealed! You will not be disappointed with the twists and turns of this taut thriller, and the superior dialogue and characterisation of Romy Hausman is truly a wonder to behold.

Whilst this novel has been compared to “Gone Girl” and “The Room”, I’m sure that in years to come many authors will be thrilled when their work is likened to “Dear Child”.

Superb. A classic of its genre.

Wow! What a fantastic read, I was hooked from the first page. A kind of cross between Room Baby Doll yet so much more, was jam packed and full of suspense and surprises. I never would have guessed who the abductor was. Will be recommending this to everyone.

A tense, taut and creepy thriller debut from Romy Hausmann, excellently translated from German to English by Jamie Bulloch. "Dear Child" makes for compulsive reading and keeps the reader guessing throughout, as the story dips between timelines and character perspectives.

Wow what a read. I really wanted to read this once I saw the blurb and am delighted to say it even exceeded my expectations. This is a dark, twisted and twisted read. I couldn't put it down as I needed to know what was happening. The characters are really well developed and you're instinctively suspicious of everyone. All is definitely not what it seems with this one and I loved every minute of it!

I won't go into the story here, just read the blurb. I wouldn't want to spoil it for anyone. This book is brilliant. The characters feel real and the story is so complex and twisty. This book would make an amazing tv series; a film wouldn't allow enough time for all of the detail of this gripping story. I will be searching out the author's other work.

Firstly thank you to the publisher for granting my wish!

As soon as I read the synopsis I knew I NEEDED to read Dear Child. The cover is also incredible.

Telling the story of an abducted woman and a family living in a small hidden cabin this story chilled my blood. It’s dark, full of thrills and written perfectly. Honestly it couldn’t get any better. This is a book you MUST READ!

5/5