Living Dead Girl

Jul 04, 2012 karen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: icky-sex, why-yes-i-ya

I probably would have liked this book more if i were a teenager or a pedophile. I mostly just read this for science. it came up in my collection development class when we were talking about challenged books (that doesn't mean that they are handicapped, but that they have been rarrred at by angry parents and other scared concerned types), but when i heard what it was about - i pretty much had to read it to see how an author handled this situation, because it seemed rough stuff for teen fiction. t...more I probably would have liked this book more if i were a teenager or a pedophile. I mostly just read this for science. it came up in my collection development class when we were talking about challenged books (that doesn't mean that they are handicapped, but that they have been rarrred at by angry parents and other scared concerned types), but when i heard what it was about - i pretty much had to read it to see how an author handled this situation, because it seemed rough stuff for teen fiction. the basic premise - although i hate doing plot summaries - is that "alice" (the first-person narrator)is kidnapped when she is ten and physically and sexually abused for 5 years, but when she starts to develop physically beyond her captor's personal preference, he enlists her help in selecting her own replacement. so -ew. and i don't know anything about psychology, child or otherwise, so i don't know the terminology, but she just completely shuts down, emotionally, into a not-quite-stockholm syndrome - she doesn't align herself with him for anything but self-preservation, but she has just given up fighting and does what he wants, because he has made threats about hurting her family etc. so - she has all this freedom to leave the house and go to the park to find this new-child for him, but she can't do anything to save herself, which is very frustrating for the reader.The author gets 5 stars for balls - for tackling the subject matter to begin with and for the ending which i'm sure had some people up in startled emotional flight mode.and as a cautionary tale, it should also get 5 stars, although a teen audience is a little old for the caution, and any younger readers would be traumatized beyond therapy. do not give this book to your 8-year-old. just tell them to stay away from unmarked vans. i just personally didn't connect to it. the subject matter is horrifying, but in the abstract, and this character's shutdown response didn't make me want to save her so much as walk in, splash some water on her and say "snap out of it". when i was little, these were my literary kidnapping equivalents:

and they were way more gentle in terms of what the girls went through, wayyyy fewer forced blowjobs, but it gave me a total sense of confidence - if i got my ass kidnapped, i could get out of it with my cleverness. i used to dream about being kidnapped, and the ways i would elude my tormentors. it's probably a really good thing i was never actually kidnapped, because this here book is probably closer to the reality - feisty kids don't always win, but this might have made me a little more of a shut-in, and may have ruined my devil-may-care years, so i would have lost some good adventure-stories. i didn't personally love this book, but there's no reason it shouldn't be in a library. libraries are full of books. you don't like this one, don't write an angry letter, just go read another one. hell, i'm about to. (less)

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Jun 23, 2011 Wendy Darling rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Wendy Darling by: Ginny

Shelves: young-adult, icky-subjects, read-2011, realistic-fiction, adult, wishlist-find-arc-or-pb, mature-ya, made-my-heart-hurt

Is it possible to write a story about a child being imprisoned and make it gut-wrenching and relevant? After the disappointment of various different books I've read recently involving kidnapping and child endangerment, I wasn't sure, particularly when it comes to the YA genre. But after reading Living Dead Girl, I have my answer: it's yes. Resoundingly, unequivocally, yes.

15-year-old "Alice" has lived with Ray since she was 10. Kidnapped from a school field trip and taken to Shady Pines Apartmen...more Is it possible to write a story about a child being imprisoned and make it gut-wrenching and relevant? After the disappointment of various different books I've read recently involving kidnapping and child endangerment, I wasn't sure, particularly when it comes to the YA genre. But after reading Living Dead Girl, I have my answer: it's yes. Resoundingly, unequivocally, yes.

15-year-old "Alice" has lived with Ray since she was 10. Kidnapped from a school field trip and taken to Shady Pines Apartments, she lives among ordinary people who don't really see her or don't really want to. Every day Ray cuddles her on his lap and forces her to submit to him, punishing her with his fists and his words if she does anything to displease him. Her attempts to defy him--including one botched escape--are met with out-of-control violence until her resistance is completely beaten down.

This is not an easy book to read. While it is not explicit, the terrible things that Alice is subjected to are not glossed over. I've seen some criticisms that the book goes overboard in describing what she is forced to do, but I disagree. The reality is that there are children out there who have been and no doubt currently are subjected to this kind of torture, and the description and repetition of these acts helps us to understand in some small way what victims have to go through. I never thought the descriptions crossed the line in terms of tastelessness or exploitation.

The author does an incredible job of describing Alice's terror and confusion, as well as her eventual numbness. There are many details worked into the story that have a ring of truth, including the dull repetition of her days watching tv, the anxiety when Ray comes home, the punishments meted out for small infractions, the attempts to keep her small and childlike, Alice's lank appearance and poor circulation from lack of nutrition, etc. Most importantly, the author touches on the way abuse tends to perpetrate more abuse and the awful resignation that Alice begins to feel to her plight.

I don't understand why my shell keeps living. Breathing. Why won't it listen to me, to the little part I have that isn't Ray, to that tiny once upon a time girl who just wants to close her eyes and never wake up again?

There were so many details that made me hurt with empathy for Alice, not only in relation to her sexual abuse, but also in relation to the way Ray starves her as a means to control her and to keep her from growing up. The descriptions of her sharp hunger after days of eating practically nothing were heart-wrenching. Alice describes tasting a sandwich with "not one, but two slices of...salty cheese and slippery ham and cottony bread, so light in my mouth. I could eat these forever, until the world ended and beyond."

I have a great deal of admiration for the author for writing about this subject with such restraint and sympathy. This isn't a perfect book--I thought the "once upon a time" device was repetitious and not entirely successful--but it is a searingly memorable one that handles a difficult subject with great skill. I don't feel that "serious" books that are primarily about kidnapping and imprisonment are enjoyable for the sake of pure entertainment, and that's the primary objection I have to the fictional books I've previously read that deal with this subject. I go into this more in my review of the disappointing and much-lauded Room, but suffice to say that what I hope to gain from reading about such unhappy subjects are some degree of insight (into both the victim's suffering and the perpetrator's motivation) as well as a great deal of empathy. I got both in spades with Living Dead Girl.

Recommended for adults or mature teens only.

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Feb 17, 2012 Lora rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: not going there

Shelves: lib-audiobooks

Here's what I'd like to know: What made Elizabeth Scott go from Sarah Dessen to Ellen Hopkins and back again? Scott's fourth YA offering, Living Dead Girl, is so far removed from her other works that I'm finding it hard to believe they're even written by the same author. Living Dead Girl is raw and repulsive, whereas all of Scott's other stories are sunshine and butterflies swirling over romantic heads.
When an author begins writing, they usually decide what sort of stories they will write most o...more

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Feb 25, 2009 Kristi (The Story Siren) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Elizabeth Scott is a genius. A literary genius. I’ve read some of Elizabeth’s other titles, and I find myself wondering, how can these be written by the same person. And I don’t mean that in a Stephenie Meyer/Breaking Dawn way. To have that kind of diverse talent, it is simply effing amazing.

I read this book in one setting. It is truly powerful. The emotion– sadness, despair it’s so apparent it’s freaky. How can I say that I loved a book about abduction, sexual abuse, and suffering? Why do you...more

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Mar 30, 2012 Emily May rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-na, 2011

Well, the book leaves scars I can definitely tell you that much. I didn't know quite what to expect from this book, all I'd heard about it previously was that it's a story about abuse and a very short read (170 pages, large writing in my edition). I'd heard reviewers describe it as 'disturbing', but I didn't dwell on that too much, I assumed that when you've read a couple of Stephen King's books (namely It, Misery, etc.) you'd pretty much got your heard around 'disturbing'.

I was wrong. The auth...more

Well, the book leaves scars I can definitely tell you that much. I didn't know quite what to expect from this book, all I'd heard about it previously was that it's a story about abuse and a very short read (170 pages, large writing in my edition). I'd heard reviewers describe it as 'disturbing', but I didn't dwell on that too much, I assumed that when you've read a couple of Stephen King's books (namely It, Misery, etc.) you'd pretty much got your heard around 'disturbing'.

I was wrong. The author draws you in with her unique and just plain strange writing style, despite being weird it's also very effective. It takes us deep inside the mind of a person who has not only suffered extreme physical and sexual abuse (though there's been plenty of that) but has also been so psychologically damaged that her hope is only for death to come swiftly, she is so desperate that she is even willing to sacrifice a young girl to make her suffering end. And, awful as that is, I couldn't hate her for it.

I've read a number of books where the first person narrative is by someone mentally damaged; some work (e.g. The Bell Jar), most do not. Scott's not only worked, but affected me deeply. I could also see how Ray's past experiences of abuse and a loveless childhood had made him the monster he was, he was never meant to be redeemed, but perhaps understood to some extent. The entire story was very fast, very horrifying and completely unforgettable. My first thoughts when I put it down were "I have to get someone else to read this now", despite it not being something I'd normally go about recommending to friends with a casual "enjoy!" thrown in.

It's labelled a young adult novel, god knows why but it is. This book would have given me nightmares a few years ago - and it may well give me nightmares tonight. I don't think for one second that this is particularly a children/teenage story, in fact it's debatable as to whether or not it's actually suitable for them at all. The writing itself is neither simplistic or teen/child-oriented, but deep and complex.

I certainly won't forget this book, whether or not that's a good thing though, remains undecided.(less)

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May 01, 2013 Rebecca marked it as dnf · review of another edition

Shelves: dark, non-con-dub-con, taboo

OK....so. DNF

I love twisted, I love dark, I love a mind melt. But not like this...never ever like this.
APPARENTLY THIS IS YA WHAT THE FUH WORLD?? WHY??

My face reading this...

I actually enjoyed the writing and I wasn't bored or anything, I kind of want to finish it but I feel too much like a sicko- not a judgment of people who have read it at all. I just feel like a voyeur and in this context I have NO DESIRE to read it.
I have kids and maybe this is why....I am used to warnings and usually this m...more

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Feb 07, 2011 Emily rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, tragedy, young-adult

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. UGH. I never had any intention of reading this book until Bitch Magazine posted a list of Feminist YA books on their website this weekend and, much to my surprise, this was on it. I questioned its place on the list, a staffer said they'd look into it, and I second guessed myself. Turns out I was right the first time: this isn't feminist at all. What's more, I'd say that this is the literary equivalent of torture porn, except worse than anything you'll actually ever see on the big screen; this bo...more UGH. I never had any intention of reading this book until Bitch Magazine posted a list of Feminist YA books on their website this weekend and, much to my surprise, this was on it. I questioned its place on the list, a staffer said they'd look into it, and I second guessed myself. Turns out I was right the first time: this isn't feminist at all. What's more, I'd say that this is the literary equivalent of torture porn, except worse than anything you'll actually ever see on the big screen; this book has no redeeming social value whatsoever.

(Edited a week later to add some thoughts I've better developed since discussing with librarian buddies who both love and hate this book.)

I can't deny that this book will appeal to horror-hungry teens, and as a librarian I have to give it credit for that. But frankly, it is ONLY as a genre horror novel that I can give it credit. Same way I don't want to watch Hostel, I don't want to read books like this. Clearly some people do, so however much I personally might have hated the experience of reading it, I can accept that this is a different strokes kind of thing. But I have a real problem with this book being marketed as anything other than horror. It SHOCKS me that anyone could call this a feminist work.

Does it make sense to say that the bleakness of this book makes it pointless? I just wonder, what does a teen reader, or any reader, have to hold onto at the end? Kyla is already apparently damaged beyond repair when the book begins, completely broken and tragic, but well on her way to monstrous, too: using her own sexuality to control others who she perceives as being weak; viciously mean when she has the opportunity to be; positively gleeful over the thought of freeing herself at the cost of another girl's freedom. It seems to me that with the ending she gives us, Scott lazily skirts around the possibility of recovery, of any possible empowerment or justice. And I'm not someone who thinks every book should have a happy (or even optimistic) ending, I just think that THIS book becomes pointless without one. There's no story here -- this is a completely bleak and voyeuristic snapshot of horrific abuse and NOTHING ELSE, merely something you tell little girls to scare them into submission. I think, in the end, a reader has nothing to gain from this book except for a good scare (which it certainly delivers), and I think that does discredit it, pretty much entirely, as a piece of serious literary fiction.

I will say that I thought Scott's writing was much, much better here than in the very boring and awkward Perfect You (except for the dialog, which this author cannot write at all).

But all in all I was happier person before I read this, and the world was probably a better place before it was written. Yuck. A million yucks. I want a shower.

For a better, smarter captor/captive book, try Room. For a better, smarter abuse book, try Push. (less)

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Sep 02, 2008 Julie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: mature teenagers, adults

Shelves: fiction, horror, young-adult, 2008, signed-out

This book is amazing. I picked it up on a whim, one of the few YA books we had enough copies of at work for me to borrow. Living Dead Girl tells a chilling story from the perspective of "Alice," a 15-year-old who was abducted at age 10 by a man named Ray, who proceeds to spend 5 years molding her into the perfect object of his desire, both physically and mentally.

The book is incredibly disturbing - as it should be. I wanted the entire time to just run to where she was, break the door down and ge...more

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Sarah Gray I completely agree.. This book is very disturbing, but it is one of the best books I have ever read. I literally had to put it down several times only...more
Feb 12, 2010 04:22pm

JoYee Chu Yes, that is completely true. I'm 19, and throughout the whole time, i thought, "I don't think teens should read this", if i was 13 and read it, i thi...more
Jun 17, 2010 05:27am

May 23, 2013 Nenia Campbell rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-baby-ya, x-2008s, disturbing, icky-things-going-on-here, all-the-lovely-bones, rape-n-violence, wtf

Okay, the first thought that came to my head should be pretty obvious.

And now I've got that out of my system, which is good, because Living Dead Girl, as the title suggests, is no laughing matter. It's really, really dark and depressing. Remember 2004 when emo was still in full swing, and people still used xanga, and it was super popular to post tons of depressing pictures and blog entries about how much life sucked and how much you wanted to end it all, right now? This is 170 pages of that.

Alic...more

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Jul 23, 2010 Tatiana rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, ya, ala-ya-2009

Well, people who have told me that "Living Dead Girl" was a horrifying book were absolutely correct. This is definitely one of the most depressing and scary stories I have ever read. Basically every sentence of this novel is a painful assault on your psyche. The descriptions of daily physical, psychological and sexual abuse are almost impossible to bear.

I have to give Elizabeth Scott kudos for creating a very realistic in its atrociousness story that won't leave anyone untouched. The despicable...more Well, people who have told me that "Living Dead Girl" was a horrifying book were absolutely correct. This is definitely one of the most depressing and scary stories I have ever read. Basically every sentence of this novel is a painful assault on your psyche. The descriptions of daily physical, psychological and sexual abuse are almost impossible to bear.

I have to give Elizabeth Scott kudos for creating a very realistic in its atrociousness story that won't leave anyone untouched. The despicable routine of Alice's existence is mortifying; her complete defeat and her willingness to put another child in her own place just to get some peace (even if that peace equals death) are awfully terrifying and yet strangely understandable; the portrayal of Alice's abuser with his broken childhood and his twisted view of love rings true as well. It is obvious Scott has done her research and got a great grasp of psyches of both the abuser and the abused.

However if I were ever to talk to the writer of "Living Dead Girl," I would tell her that if you create a disturbing story like this, if you take your readers on such an emotional roller-coaster, you'd better come up with a better ending than the one we were offered. If there is no hope or inspiration, such a tale becomes simply a horror story with nothing to learn, an exercise at psychological manipulation if you will.

But my major problem with this book is that it is written for young adults. I don't quite understand the purpose of subjecting kids to this kind of story. It is definitely not a cautionary tale (as it might be for adults) as they would be too old for that and it sure doesn't teach them any lessons. The only thing this book will achieve is to scare them out of their sleep due to endless depictions of various assaults which in spite of their vagueness are quite graphic.

Overall, "Living Dead Girl" is a memorable albeit painful read. Not the book I would widely recommend and certainly not the one for younger readers.(less)

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Oct 22, 2008 Tasha rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: teen

This is one of the most gripping and brutal novels for teens I have ever read. It is the story of Alice, who was abducted as a 10-year-old by Ray, who has sexually and emotionally abused her for five years. Alice knows that if she tries to escape, her entire family will be killed. Now Ray has started starving her to try to maintain her childlike body, not allowing her to get over 100 pounds. His violence is also increasing as are his death threats. Alice has long wanted to die, but death eludes...more

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Jan 07, 2012 Tanu Das rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

“no one would listen. I could have screamed a million times in a million voices and no one would have ever heard me. I did,every time I left the apartment, with every step I took out in the world. All those cries, and no one ever heard them” Alice..

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Dec 10, 2008 Melissa rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: I'm not sure I could recommend it

Shelves: with-reviews, books-i-am-sorry-i-read

I can recognize quality writing when I see it and I have to admit that while I did not like or enjoy (if that is even possible) this book it is well written. This review is not a criticism of the author's writing, she is an excellent writer.

I am usually pretty liberal when it comes to teen books I understand that teen books are often on the cutting edge and pushing the boundaries of comfort for their readers to introduce them to the world we live in.

The reasons for which I gave this book only...more

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Oct 10, 2008 Susan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: those who like A Child Called It, also possibly Jailbait

Recommended to Susan by: talked about on yalsa-bk

Shelves: ya-fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. It's hard to say that I liked this book. I am still mulling over it and find it remarkably disturbing. A fictional account of a 15 year old girl, "Alice", who was not always Alice. She used to be a sheltered, spoiled girl until days before her 10th birthday when she is abducted by a sexual predator named Ray. And she is not Ray's first victim--she is terrified into staying with him, despite the fact that he leaves her alone every day to go to work, because he threatens to kill her family if she...more It's hard to say that I liked this book. I am still mulling over it and find it remarkably disturbing. A fictional account of a 15 year old girl, "Alice", who was not always Alice. She used to be a sheltered, spoiled girl until days before her 10th birthday when she is abducted by a sexual predator named Ray. And she is not Ray's first victim--she is terrified into staying with him, despite the fact that he leaves her alone every day to go to work, because he threatens to kill her family if she leaves. He killed the last Alice when she turned 15, as a womanly shape is not to his liking. Then he killed Alice's parents, and well before then he killed his own sexually abusive mother.

Now that Alice is 15 she wants nothing more for him to end her life as the living dead girl, the girl who is neither living nor able to die. She is a shell of what she once was. People do not notice her. They have lived in their apartment several years, yet she goes mostly unnoticed. Neighnors even praise Ray's parenting a "different" girl who requires home schooling. However, Ray's plans for her are much more sinister than mere murder. Alice will help him find his next youthful victim, and she will hold her hands while he breaks her in, she will teach the new girl what Ray likes. Initially Alice is more than happy to do this. She is so damaged that rather than being horrifed at this possibily she is anxious to find someone that Ray would rather be with than her, someone to unspoil, show them what the cruel world is like. Alice will steal her food to keep her small - as Alice herself is practically starved to remain a prepubescent 100 pounds who does not menstruate, who does not have hips or breasts.

So, Alice finds 6 year old Lucy (whom Ray will call Annabelle) at the park. She also meets Barbara, a police woman who has taken notice of her frail appearance. Over several days time, she seduces Lucy's stoner brother Jake as a distraction so that Ray can take her. But the numbness begins to wear off, and Jake notices Ray watching her and she weakly asks for help. In the end, Jake returns with a gun when Ray tries to grab hold of the screaming Annbelle. He shoots him, thinking himself the hero until he realizes that he's also shot Alice in the stomach -- before dying she tells Jake her real name (which the reader finally learns is Kyla) and address and she collapses underneath Ray's weight and is "finally free".

A devastating as it is, there really was no other way for this story to end happily. Alice is damaged beyond repair, I don't see how she could have recovered and lived a normal life after the 5 years of sexual, physical, and mental abuse she was subjected to. I'm just glad that Ray met his end and that ultimately she met her end because of him it wasn't by his hand.

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Jul 22, 2008 Becky rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Just when you thought Elizabeth Scott was getting to be predictable...along comes LIVING DEAD GIRL. To clarify, I love, love, love Elizabeth Scott. I have happily read and gushed about her first three books: Bloom, Perfect You, and Stealing Heaven.

If I had just a handful of words to describe Living Dead Girl, they'd be: powerful, haunting, and unputdownable.

It is the story of a girl caught in a nightmare. "Alice." A girl who at the age of ten was reborn.

Get up.
Those were the first words I ever...more Just when you thought Elizabeth Scott was getting to be predictable...along comes LIVING DEAD GIRL. To clarify, I love, love, love Elizabeth Scott. I have happily read and gushed about her first three books: Bloom, Perfect You, and Stealing Heaven.

If I had just a handful of words to describe Living Dead Girl, they'd be: powerful, haunting, and unputdownable.

It is the story of a girl caught in a nightmare. "Alice." A girl who at the age of ten was reborn.

Get up.
Those were the first words I ever heard.
Open my eyes, see a girl, black and blue all over, dried blood along her thies. Red brown stains smeared across the hairless juncture between.
"Get up and take a bath, Alice," the man in the blue shirt said, and Alice did.
I did.
That's how I was born. Naked, hairless, covered in blood like all babies.
Named, bathed, and then taken out into the world. (20)

Kidnapped by a pedophile during a class field trip, Alice has endured the unthinkable for five years. Now she's fifteen, five foot seven, and a hundred pounds. Her time is running out, she knows this, she wasn't the first Alice. But it is in how she lives--her world, her thoughts, her decisions--that will haunt you most of all. Suspenseful, dark, and very chilling. Definitely not for everyone. But if you can go to the dark side, if you can walk in her shoes for a bit, it is really something.

Scott's writing is incredible. If I were in charge of handing out awards, one would be heading her way. Her book is amazingly haunting. It just resonates with feeling, emotion. The mood might be dark. The ending bittersweet, but oh-what-a-book.

In previous posts, I've compared Elizabeth Scott to Sarah Dessen. She may not realize it, but that is high praise, very high praise coming from me. Some people may think that Stephenie Meyer is the "perfect" writer. But for me, Sarah Dessen, has always provided the most satisfying of reads. But with her fourth novel, Living Dead Girl, new comparisons must be made. Alice Sebold. Nancy Werlin. Gail Giles. Laura Wiess.

I read an ARC of this. It isn't due to be published until September, I believe. As I'm quoting from this ARC, be aware that there could be changes between this and the final published version.(less)

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Dec 02, 2011 Ðɑηηɑ rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: None (although it has an unreleased potential)

Shelves: young-adult, 1-star, 2011, female-author, usa, english, paperback, own, shortly-reviewed, pub-2000s, female-protagonist, award-winning, american-author, kidnapped, urban, abused, violent-male, teenage-character

Do you know that kind of book when from the very beginning it is very very boring, and then - a miracle occurs! The ending is just heartbreaking and really good, comparing to the oh-so bad story? Well, this is one of those books! It started out really bad, until the end. All the great potential the book had was sucked till the very end, so while reading you keep wanting to throw the book away.
The writing, I must admit, is absolutely horrible, and I assume this is seriously one of the worst writi...more

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Jun 20, 2012 April rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya, own

Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott is an emotional read detailing ‘Alice’s’ torment at the hands of her captor, Ray. This was one of the books challenged during the whole Bitch Media 100 YA Books For The Feminist list kerfluffle. As I recall there was a comment on there alleging that Living Dead Girl is ‘torture porn.’ I don’t even know if I read the same book as the commentor. I saw this as an incredibly heartbreaking portrayal of the evil lurking below the surface of some people.

Read the rest ...more

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Feb 22, 2012 Penny rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-fiction

A difficult book for a mother of three little girls to read. Frightening. Devastating. Heartbreaking. I hate this book because it made me feel so much, too much. Reduced me to genuine sobs, as if I was mourning the passing of a loved one. This story will haunt me forever. I am able appreciate Living Dead Girl for these reasons.

Regardless of the content, the subject matter, Living Dead Girl is well-crafted. Every word has a purpose, every sentence deliberate. The imagery is in-your-face, brazen,...more

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Sep 10, 2011 George rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: elizabeth-scott, borrowed-from-danae

This books was really amazing but i don't know if i would recommend it to anybody...it was really hard for me to read it...I saw on the internet some people complaining that although it was an awesome book it was too small (170 pages)...well, first of all it wasn't awesome...it was horrible. You can't read this book and then say it's awesome, because it doesn't make you feel like that when you finish it...it makes you feel like shit, it makes you feel like it should make you feel...and secondly,

...more

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Jul 13, 2010 Sloan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, read-in-2009, mental-illness-and-psychological, elizabeth-scott, titles-i-love

Wow... I’m having a hard time finding adequate words to express how I felt reading this novel, if there even are any. It is such a haunting and unforgettable story. I think I will find that even though I have finished this book, it’s going to linger with me for some time.

Living Dead Girl is about a girl who was abducted at the age of 10. She is now 15 and fears that her abductor, Ray, is going to kill her and seek a younger girl to replace her. Half of her wants the pain to end and half of her...more

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Nov 12, 2008 Donna rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fans of short, depressing books like John Steinbeck's "The Pearl"

Shelves: teen, crime

I had to update this review after reading comments by other people about the book. I hated, hated, hated the ending of this book. I would have given it 3 stars if the ending didn't make me so angry. I haven't been this pissed off at a book in a long time. I realize that a lot of people disagree, and they're welcome to their own opinions. I just did not like it. Does that mean it's not worth reading? No. I liked it up until the end, and it does provoke interesting discussions, so I'm not going to...more

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Jun 20, 2008 Adriana rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-sexual-abuse-violence

I read this book in less than a day. It is short, but it packs a punch. Very disturbing, very haunting, and very poignant. It follows "Alice" who has been kept by a sexual predator for the last five years after being abducted when she was 10 years old. The way the author describes "Alice's" unimaginable abuse, without being too gory or sensationalist, draws you in and really makes you embrace her character. The disturbing nature of the book makes you want to put it down, but you also want to kee...more

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Dec 29, 2008 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-teen-fiction, read-horror

This is a gut-wrenching read. It made me sick to my stomach. I think I read about 30-40 pages, before I had to skip to the end to find out if there was a positive ending . . . The book is told from the point of view of a young lady who is living with a pedophiliac sexual predator. It's heartbreaking and I think a part of the reader dies with this tormented young lady.

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Apr 19, 2009 Trudi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009-reads, emotional-landmines, in-her-own-words, traumatizing, uber-graphic-extreme, woman-in-peril, what-the-bleep, modern-lit, heart-of-darkness

I struggled with how to rate this book -- from 1 star, to 5 stars, to no stars. There is a part of me that regrets ever having picked up this book, and definitely a part of me that (for better or worse) will never forget reading it. My first visceral reaction to it was that Scott had penned an outrageously exploitative, gratuitous book, one so gruesome in parts, and so fully realized, that I felt like an accomplice, aiding and abetting "Alice's" abductor. The book left me reeling from shock and...more

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Jan 13, 2009 Terri rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book goes beyond dark... it's the most disturbing book I ever read, yet I found it compelling. I didn't want to continue reading, but I had to find out what happened to "Alice." I wanted so badly for there to be a happy ending while all the time knowing that a story such as this one never ends happily... the mental scars run too deeply.

"Alice" was abducted by a child predator while on a school field trip at age 10 and has been a victim of Ray's sexual, mental, and physical abuse ever since...more

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Sep 16, 2011 Tyler rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a good book with a lot of things you had to infer, a lot of good descriptions, and really good imagery. Too good imagery, actually. I don't know if I'll ever forget what happened in this book. I can't get that name out of my head, Kyla Davis. She lived at 623 Daisy Lane. I cannot get her name out of my head. I can't get that adress out of my head. And I can't get her story out of my head either. Stories are made up, and they only work when you know the end. She thought she knew her end...more

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Jan 26, 2009 Suzanne rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: youngadult-fiction

Elizabeth Scott does a masterful job of building horror and suspense. This book was an upsetting read especially to the mother of a daughter (as I am), and I found myself skimming the more-graphic parts. A departure from her previous work, Scott's Living Dead Girl will haunt readers for a long time.

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Jul 03, 2011 Shelley aka Gizmo's Reviews rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2008-release, young-adult-fiction

This is such a deeply moving, disturbing, troubling, and emotional book that each and every parent of a small child, or teenager less than 18 years of age should be required to read and keep on their bookshelves to read again. I'm not sure that marketing it for the younger audience is a good thing or a bad thing. I would say that if they were to read this, then read it with an older relative so that they can talk it out when the book is done. Teenagers have a short attention span and will defini...more This is such a deeply moving, disturbing, troubling, and emotional book that each and every parent of a small child, or teenager less than 18 years of age should be required to read and keep on their bookshelves to read again. I'm not sure that marketing it for the younger audience is a good thing or a bad thing. I would say that if they were to read this, then read it with an older relative so that they can talk it out when the book is done. Teenagers have a short attention span and will definitely not remember this book six months down the line. Welcome to the age of the internet and smart phones.

This is the emotional journey of a 15 year old girl who has been held captive as the daughter of a really sick and twisted kidnapper named Ray. She has been told that if she tries to return home, her parents will be killed, and most likely her. She has been forced to suffer from constant torment and abuse is at times extremely nauseating to read. She can't even gain any weight without fear of being beaten or forced to have sex with her captor "father". "Alice" is an example of a broken and beaten human.

I don't much care for forced rape and torture, as I am a victim myself. However, it is books like these that will help others understand that the world is not really a safe place, no matter how hard we may say it is. "Alice" has no will of her own. She is forced to continue to be a little girl even though she is growing up. She is then forced into choosing her replacement which in itself is unusual and cruel punishment. She is, like the books title says, a Living Dead Girl.

I absolutely was not shocked by the ending of this book. Sad? Yes, of course I was. How could you not after reading this and understanding exactly how much pain and hurt this character suffered for five long years? Could we have an ongoing debate of why the author made the choice to end it this way? By all means yes, let's. There could have been several alternative endings, but then the psychologists in us would have screamed and cursing and hollered until the cows came home.

My only complaint came with the arrival of Barbara who is supposed to be a police officer. Police are trained alot better than this. She should have reported Alice to her supervisors, and tried to do more for the girl.

NOT RECOMMENDED FOR ANYONE UNDER 18 YEARS OF AGE!!!!!
(less)

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Dec 21, 2008 Karin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dark, suspense-thriller, young-adult-fiction, abduction, rape, horrifying, sexual-abuse

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. When “Alice” was a little girl, she was taken by a stranger while she was on a field trip to the aquarium. The man, Ray, offered to reunite her with her classmates, but ended up taking her to his car and bringing her to his home. There, he sexually abused her as his mother had once abused him. When she’d told him who she was and where her parents lived, he threatened to murder them if she ever told anyone what he’d done to her. Alice had to live with this man until she was fifteen. By then she w...more When “Alice” was a little girl, she was taken by a stranger while she was on a field trip to the aquarium. The man, Ray, offered to reunite her with her classmates, but ended up taking her to his car and bringing her to his home. There, he sexually abused her as his mother had once abused him. When she’d told him who she was and where her parents lived, he threatened to murder them if she ever told anyone what he’d done to her. Alice had to live with this man until she was fifteen. By then she was growing into a young woman, which made Ray angry. He wanted her to stay a little girl forever and forced her to wear children’s clothing, starved her so she wouldn’t grow or menstruate, and sent her out to have her body waxed so that she’d remain smooth and hairless. Alice only wants Ray to leave her alone and she doesn’t really care how she achieves that goal. So, when Ray suggests that Alice help him find a new little girl to play with, she’s all for it – anything to redirect his attention away from her. She selects a girl at the park for Ray and they begin planning how they’ll take her. A tiny, fragile hope blooms in Alice that Ray will let her go once he has a new distraction.

This was one of the most chilling things I’ve read in a long time. Alice’s situation was both terrible and painful, and while the acts her captor committed on her mind and body weren’t detailed in all of their graphic horror, it was bad enough to imagine what took place between the words. Alice loathes what she has become and does everything to make herself unattractive to Ray – without making him so angry that he punishes her. It doesn’t matter, though. Everything makes him angry, and whatever he does to her is punishment – whether she’s actually been bad or not. His “love” is punishment. The depth of Alice’s apathy is frightening. She’s truly been turned into some kind of warped husk of what she used to be.

When Alice convinces Ray to take the little girl in the park, it’s incredibly creepy just how willing she is to sacrifice that child’s innocence and happiness to save herself. And not even to save herself for anything. She has no plans to better herself, no plans to find help, no plans for her future except to get away from Ray. Up until she tells the girl to run, it seems that Alice is trapped in the vicious cycle of abuse (and if this were a V.C. Andrews novel, the sequel would bear that out), and that she is going to be its next perpetrator. Alice’s would-be savior shoots Ray as he comes for Alice and the little girl. Ray goes down, but so does Alice. And this is her dream ending – relief, bliss, final release. She’s so destroyed that only death brings her the peace that she longs for. I wondered (hopefully, you will, too) whether Alice could have made it on her own if she’d gotten away, gotten some kind of help. There’s a cop who gives her information about a center for girls who are in some kind of trouble, and readers will hope that she somehow finds the courage to go there, to get the assistance she needs. But Alice has made her attempts at reaching out, and the adults in her life up until this point have all failed her. Is she now so broken that she’ll never be able to live a normal life? Probably. That’s saddest of all.

Teens (especially teenage girls) will probably eat up this cautionary tale. And then, cast quick looks over their shoulders as they scurry past the shadows. This is the stuff of horror – all the more horrific because we know that it happens. Children disappear all the time – many to unknown fates. It’s almost impossible not to be affected/moved by this book. It will (and should!) horrify you.(less)

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May 16, 2012 Nicole rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: mature readers; this is not a young YA book.

Shelves: all-of-the-feelings, powerful, fiction, read-in-2012, ya, skimmed-or-dnf, survival-of-the-fittest, mental-health, tough-topics, icky-sex

I finished reading this one this morning and have a had a vaguely unsettled feeling all day.

This book deals with a horrifying topic--the kidnapping, rape, and subjugation of a girl three days shy of her tenth birthday--in a non-exploitative and minimally graphic way. It deserves five stars for that.

This book is well-written, if a bit heavy on the "once upon a time" device. It deserves five stars for that.

And from a psychological study standpoint, this book definitely deserves five stars.

But it w...more I finished reading this one this morning and have a had a vaguely unsettled feeling all day.

This book deals with a horrifying topic--the kidnapping, rape, and subjugation of a girl three days shy of her tenth birthday--in a non-exploitative and minimally graphic way. It deserves five stars for that.

This book is well-written, if a bit heavy on the "once upon a time" device. It deserves five stars for that.

And from a psychological study standpoint, this book definitely deserves five stars.

But it was painfully hard for me to read. I had to skim over a part in the middle (no specific one, just about 20 pages that I knew I couldn't handle) because it was impacting me too personally. I am the woman who found a lost preschooler in the store who was crying too hard to tell me her mommy's name so we could find her, and I felt so bad for the kid that I almost started crying with her. A friend of some friends disappeared my freshman year in college and was found murdered a couple months later, which still gets to me six years later. I have a six-year-old sister and I can't read about these things without wondering what if? It was just too nauseating.

I usually feel cheesy about writing plot summaries, but I feel like anyone who wants to read this should know more about what they're getting into than I did. Living Dead Girl is no The Face on the Milk Carton or Baby-Sitting Is a Dangerous Job. It is about a fifteen-year-old who has lived as "Alice" for so long that she has basically shut down. She goes through life in a haze, minute by minute, fighting to survive but wishing her kidnapper would just kill her already so she can be free. Ray likes little girls, in an icky way. So he tries really hard to keep Alice from growing up. But it happens. Which means he needs a new Alice. And it's Current Alice's job to find her replacement.

Should this really be categorized as YA? I don't know. It's certainly not for the faint of heart and if I had kids of my own I wouldn't want them reading this book unless they were older teens with a certain level of emotional maturity. And even then I would want to discuss it with them; I wouldn't hand them a copy and say, "Here, this happens, deal with it." I certainly don't feel it should be banned, though. It can't serve as a cautionary tale--as karen said in her review, "a teen audience is a little old for the caution, and any younger readers would be traumatized beyond therapy"--but I think it is a powerful story and an excellent vehicle for promoting awareness of the cases of missing and exploited children that happen every day.

This isn't a bad book. It is just not my kind of book.(less)

3 likes · like · see review

topics	posts	views	last activity
Ending (SPOILERS*****)	4	53	Mar 07, 2013 11:15am
Did you like it?	17	86	Feb 04, 2013 07:04pm
sad	51	167	Aug 25, 2012 09:36pm
Young Adult Book ...: Final Thoughts	22	82	Nov 08, 2011 10:34am
Young Adult Book ...: Who's reading along	44	76	Nov 05, 2011 01:11pm
Young Adult Book ...: "I've seen enough television to know Ray is missing something other than his soul"	12	83	Nov 04, 2011 02:21pm

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