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Above
“Reeled out with the chilling calmness of a Hitchcock film, Above haunts as it illuminates. Deftly told, this tale of human resilience in the face of madness is a horror classic for our times” (Lynn Cullen, bestselling author of Mrs. Poe).
Blythe Hallowell is sixteen when she is abducted by a survivalist and locked away in an abandoned missile silo in Eudora, Kansas. At first, she focuses frantically on finding a way out, until the harrowing truth of her new existence settles in—the crushing loneliness, the terrifying madness of a captor who believes he is saving her from the end of the world, and the persistent temptation to give up. But nothing prepares Blythe for the burden of raising a child in confinement. Determined to give the boy everything she has lost, she pushes aside the truth about a world he may never see for a myth that just might give meaning to their lives below ground. Years later, their lives are ambushed by an event at once promising and devastating. As Blythe’s dream of going home hangs in the balance, she faces the ultimate choice—between survival and freedom.
Above is a riveting tale of resilience in which “stunning” (Daily Beast) new literary voice Isla Morley compels us to imagine what we would do if everything we had ever known was taken away. Like the bestselling authors of Room and The Lovely Bones before her, Morley explores the unthinkable with haunting detail and tenderly depicts our boundless capacity for hope.
Blythe Hallowell is sixteen when she is abducted by a survivalist and locked away in an abandoned missile silo in Eudora, Kansas. At first, she focuses frantically on finding a way out, until the harrowing truth of her new existence settles in—the crushing loneliness, the terrifying madness of a captor who believes he is saving her from the end of the world, and the persistent temptation to give up. But nothing prepares Blythe for the burden of raising a child in confinement. Determined to give the boy everything she has lost, she pushes aside the truth about a world he may never see for a myth that just might give meaning to their lives below ground. Years later, their lives are ambushed by an event at once promising and devastating. As Blythe’s dream of going home hangs in the balance, she faces the ultimate choice—between survival and freedom.
Above is a riveting tale of resilience in which “stunning” (Daily Beast) new literary voice Isla Morley compels us to imagine what we would do if everything we had ever known was taken away. Like the bestselling authors of Room and The Lovely Bones before her, Morley explores the unthinkable with haunting detail and tenderly depicts our boundless capacity for hope.
384 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2014
70 people are currently reading
3461 people want to read
About the author
Isla Morley
4 books275 followersIsla Morley grew up in South Africa during apartheid, the child of a British father and fourth-generation South African mother. During the country's State of Emergency, she graduated from Nelson Mandela University in Port Elizabeth with a degree in English Literature. By 1994 she was one of the youngest magazine editors in South Africa, but left career, country and kin when she married an American and moved to California. For more than a decade she pursued a career in non-profit work, focusing on the needs of women and children. Her debut novel Come Sunday won the Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize for Fiction and was a finalist for the Commonwealth Prize. Her novel Above was an IndieNext pick, a Best Buzz Book, and a Publishers Weekly Best New Book. The Last Blue is her third novel.
She has lived in some of the most culturally diverse places of the world, including Cape Town, London, Honolulu and now Los Angeles where she shares a home with her husband, daughter, three cats and five tortoises.
She has lived in some of the most culturally diverse places of the world, including Cape Town, London, Honolulu and now Los Angeles where she shares a home with her husband, daughter, three cats and five tortoises.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 535 reviews
October 2, 2018
i love the idea of this book, but for me, the execution fell a bit flat.
this book combines two incredibly marketable themes: abduction and the apocalypse.
16-year-old blythe is kidnapped by dobbs, a man who works in her school library and decides she is "special," so he squirrels her away in an old abandoned missile silo that he has outfitted into a survivalist stronghold to wait out the end of the world, which he claims is imminent. 17 years later, she manages to escape with her son. and what do they see? was dobbs onto something or just a deluded old perv??
that is just a fantastic premise, there.
one of my problems was with character. blythe just didn't ring true for me as a modern-day sixteen-year-old girl from kansas. there is something very old-fashioned about her, in the pre-abduction parts, and at first, i actually thought this was historical fiction, but partway through, they refer to a town anniversary, and i did the math, and that turns out not to be the case.
then i thought it was because the author is from south africa and maybe she was just missing the feel of an american teen, even though she now lives in california.
but as i read further, i started getting a christian-fiction kind of feeling from it, with its biblical allusions and quotations, and just a general tone - nothing specifically preachy or proselytizing, but there is this kind of referential veil sorta enshrouding the text - you can sense it, but it is difficult to pin down. and it turns out morley's husband is a minister, so while this book is not on a christian imprint, it makes sense that faith permeates the text, and it feels different than other similarly-themed books i have read.
and that's not a slam - i have no problem with religion finding its way into a text, and this isn't a gentle jan karon type of book: blythe does have a child with her abductor so even though it doesn't get rapey and gratuitous from the outset, the inevitable does occur and it is obviously horrifying. but it must be noted and addressed that this book does have a subtle-but-obvious-once-you-clock-it, christian fiction feel to it, and it might account for my hang-ups about blythe's feeling "off."
moving on.
the silo years are handled well. if you have read Room, you kind of know what to expect, although there is more character given to dobbs than the abductor in Room, from what i remember. dobbs has constructed quite a little haven for himself and becomes a modern-day noah, having archived, in formaldehyde, two ofevery many animals, and drawers full of seed packets in order to rebuild nature once it is safe to go out. and he has his special blythe with whom he will repopulate the world. he comes and goes as he pleases, bringing back food for them both, and later, for adam, their son. and although blythe tries many times to escape, she eventually resigns herself to her situation and tries to at least make life tolerable for adam. like Room, there is a lot of focus on motherhood and sacrifice and inventiveness, as she tries to build a world for adam within the confines of the silo.
but eventually, she does manage to escape with adam
and the rest of the review is secret. i know how tempting it is to click the spoiler tags, and i have done it myself many times, usually regretting it afterwards. but it is your life to live, and no one is keeping you in a silo (i hope), so you are free to do as you please.
so after all THAT.
there are peaks and valleys. it's worth checking out, but it was a like-but-not-love read for me.
come to my blog!
this book combines two incredibly marketable themes: abduction and the apocalypse.
16-year-old blythe is kidnapped by dobbs, a man who works in her school library and decides she is "special," so he squirrels her away in an old abandoned missile silo that he has outfitted into a survivalist stronghold to wait out the end of the world, which he claims is imminent. 17 years later, she manages to escape with her son. and what do they see? was dobbs onto something or just a deluded old perv??
that is just a fantastic premise, there.
one of my problems was with character. blythe just didn't ring true for me as a modern-day sixteen-year-old girl from kansas. there is something very old-fashioned about her, in the pre-abduction parts, and at first, i actually thought this was historical fiction, but partway through, they refer to a town anniversary, and i did the math, and that turns out not to be the case.
then i thought it was because the author is from south africa and maybe she was just missing the feel of an american teen, even though she now lives in california.
but as i read further, i started getting a christian-fiction kind of feeling from it, with its biblical allusions and quotations, and just a general tone - nothing specifically preachy or proselytizing, but there is this kind of referential veil sorta enshrouding the text - you can sense it, but it is difficult to pin down. and it turns out morley's husband is a minister, so while this book is not on a christian imprint, it makes sense that faith permeates the text, and it feels different than other similarly-themed books i have read.
and that's not a slam - i have no problem with religion finding its way into a text, and this isn't a gentle jan karon type of book: blythe does have a child with her abductor so even though it doesn't get rapey and gratuitous from the outset, the inevitable does occur and it is obviously horrifying. but it must be noted and addressed that this book does have a subtle-but-obvious-once-you-clock-it, christian fiction feel to it, and it might account for my hang-ups about blythe's feeling "off."
moving on.
the silo years are handled well. if you have read Room, you kind of know what to expect, although there is more character given to dobbs than the abductor in Room, from what i remember. dobbs has constructed quite a little haven for himself and becomes a modern-day noah, having archived, in formaldehyde, two of
but eventually, she does manage to escape with adam
and the rest of the review is secret. i know how tempting it is to click the spoiler tags, and i have done it myself many times, usually regretting it afterwards. but it is your life to live, and no one is keeping you in a silo (i hope), so you are free to do as you please.
so after all THAT.
there are peaks and valleys. it's worth checking out, but it was a like-but-not-love read for me.
come to my blog!
September 3, 2016
Reading the blurb on this book it sounded so interesting.
A 16 year old girl is taken by a survivalist into a missile silo.
Now this part of the book was ok. It kept moving along and even when the characters went into cray-cray land I still wanted to know what was going to happen.
Then 17 years later: She escapes. Then the book turned into this.
Blythe's character was hard to believe as she was supposed to be a teenager but she used terms that are very old fashioned. That kept throwing me for a loop.
I don't want to give away what happens once Blythe and her son finally get above ground...but it's a snooze fest.
Edited to add: There was rape since she conceived a child with the kidnapper and at the end the book kinda tried to make the memory of him as not really a bad guy. YUK.
A 16 year old girl is taken by a survivalist into a missile silo.
Now this part of the book was ok. It kept moving along and even when the characters went into cray-cray land I still wanted to know what was going to happen.
Then 17 years later: She escapes. Then the book turned into this.
Blythe's character was hard to believe as she was supposed to be a teenager but she used terms that are very old fashioned. That kept throwing me for a loop.
I don't want to give away what happens once Blythe and her son finally get above ground...but it's a snooze fest.
Edited to add: There was rape since she conceived a child with the kidnapper and at the end the book kinda tried to make the memory of him as not really a bad guy. YUK.
January 1, 2018
At the tender age of 16, life abruptly changed for Blythe Hallowell. As she walked home from the hometown fair in the sleepy town of Eudora, Kansas, feeling jilted by a prospective boyfriend who didn't show, she was abducted. The perpetrator was Dobbs, a library employee who came from a family of survivalists. He had been planning and preparing the former missile silo as Blythe's new dwelling for so long. Once deposited there, she must adapt to life forever indoors, behind multiple locked doors. Dobbs believes passionately in a forthcoming apocalyptic catastrophe. When that time comes, the girl he has chosen to survive it will be part of the future and revered. Dobbs has thought of everything: the fluorescent lights that glow, launched by a timer; the stockpiled food that can easily be prepared; medical supplies to combat illnesses; a feeding tube if Blythe refuses to eat.
This story is riveting from the first page as one empathizes with the horrors of Blythe's new reality. How will she adapt to her drastically changed surroundings and way of life? What is her mental and emotional state? How will she survive this? Will there be carnal expectations from Dobbs? Will Blythe have a child? These are all the questions waiting to be answered with the turn of each page. And then, the ultimate question: Will Blythe ever find her way out and "Above" again? And if so, what will be her new reality?
Those who are claustrophobic or afraid of the dark might be sweating it out as they shakily turn each page. This is a remarkable book that runs the whole gamut of emotions and has surprises around every corner. For those who don't believe in a post apocalyptic world, this might be a real eye opener. You won't be able to put this one down!
Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this fine book in return for my honest review.
This story is riveting from the first page as one empathizes with the horrors of Blythe's new reality. How will she adapt to her drastically changed surroundings and way of life? What is her mental and emotional state? How will she survive this? Will there be carnal expectations from Dobbs? Will Blythe have a child? These are all the questions waiting to be answered with the turn of each page. And then, the ultimate question: Will Blythe ever find her way out and "Above" again? And if so, what will be her new reality?
Those who are claustrophobic or afraid of the dark might be sweating it out as they shakily turn each page. This is a remarkable book that runs the whole gamut of emotions and has surprises around every corner. For those who don't believe in a post apocalyptic world, this might be a real eye opener. You won't be able to put this one down!
Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this fine book in return for my honest review.
February 24, 2014
3.5 STARS
Thanks book, I just realised there’s not much difference between a girl who got trapped in a missile silo for seventeen years and a serial reader with a 1-click button dependence.
I haven’t read Room or The Lovely Bones so I can’t make any conclusions if it delivered on its promise of being in the same vein as both those books. What I can say is that I caught myself pausing and stepping away from the intensity and madness of the first 3/4 of this book. The kind that leaves you with residual palpitations where you have to take a deep breath, count to ten before plunging back again into all that impossible tension.
I’m having hard time drawing the lines between spoiler and not because the book is being marketed as a post-apocalyptic/dystopian book… which given the premise of the story gives away pretty much the entire plot, making spoiler-tagging anything moot. But okay, let’s play pretend you don’t know what will happen:
When she was fifteen, Blythe Halowell was abducted by a survivalist under the belief that he has chosen to save her from the world’s impending end. For seventeen years she stays locked away from the rest of the supposedly ending world. In that time, Blythe suffers through endless cycles of failures, haunting memories, melancholy and infinite madness. And as if holding on to hope and sanity under such conditions wasn’t impossible enough, she has to raise their son, Adam. Their subterranean fortress is an isolated world controlled by the rules and proclamations of a mad man who claims to be protecting them from the harsh world Above.
So that’s the first half of the book. The second half deals with
Above has 384-pages with seven long-ass chapters divided into two parts and told entirely from the perspective of Blythe Halowell, a sixteen year old girl who comes from an long line of old-school Protestants from Kansas. Oh and she loves poetry. Seeing as the first half of the book documents her days and her thought process while in the silo, I expected it to be a painful experience but it really wasn’t. Much of the life that was taken away from her slips in and out of her days as she lives out her isolation and it was done pretty well.
It does take a bit of a stretch in my imagination to accept these as the thoughts of a sixteen-year old girl living in a farm and I had some difficulty distinguishing the growth in her character as a thirty-four year old woman later on. That aside, I like the consistency in the little details in her character. That despite the fact that she has been described as someone who writes poetry as a hobby, it was reflected more on her thoughts with how she fits words together and makes sense of the things going on around her than the obvious.
While the poetry bit was subtly hinted at, her old-school Protestant roots bleeds a bit more often in her thoughts and feelings. And it was okay though thematically it was a little too obvious as ‘communion-wafer sunlight’ (to name one) isn’t really something I come across often. It doesn’t bother me as a reader, it was noticeable but it didn’t make Blythe any less capable of holding my attention while I navigate the crazy twists this ride took.
The unique predicament they find themselves in may have helped but I liked the complexity and the unique perspectives offered by Adam and Dobbs’ characters. I wondered about a character like Dobbs when I was reading Gated and I’m quite happy how this explored that possibility I was playing with in my mind. Adam’s wide-eyed innocence was charming and heartbreaking at first but something I felt that figured too prominently too long in the story that eventual he started to remind me a bit of Ben Stiller’s character in Tropic Thunder.
Kirk Lazarus is not amused.
Much of Above was enjoyable and gripping. I found myself cursing the long chapters because this was particularly hard to set aside and accomplish things in real life. I liked the creativity in making the Above plausible and the smallest details in Adam and Blythe’s early explorations were simultaneously fascinating and eerie.
And I feel a bit cheated out of a better ending because a lot of that momentum was lost right around the 75% mark. I found Marcus as a secondary character overstayed his welcome and the entire Lawrence side-trip sluggish and boring. The last section where felt this side of contrived and convenient. Even the dialogue and scenes felt too Hallmarky for my taste towards the end.
I’m not sure how I was expecting this to end but I certainly didn’t expect to feel the emotional manipulation as late as the last 50 pages.
For all my griping and whining, I cannot deny how much I enjoyed this book. And the very things that bothered me, I can imagine others would find as strengths. A post-apocalyptic/dystopian book that doesn’t involve a game to the death centred on a “kickass” heroine… isn’t that reason enough to pick this up?
ARC provided by Gallery Books thru Netgalley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. Quotes may not appear in the final edition.
When you’ve lived your life with elaborate fantasies, how can reality stand a chance?
Thanks book, I just realised there’s not much difference between a girl who got trapped in a missile silo for seventeen years and a serial reader with a 1-click button dependence.
I haven’t read Room or The Lovely Bones so I can’t make any conclusions if it delivered on its promise of being in the same vein as both those books. What I can say is that I caught myself pausing and stepping away from the intensity and madness of the first 3/4 of this book. The kind that leaves you with residual palpitations where you have to take a deep breath, count to ten before plunging back again into all that impossible tension.
I’m having hard time drawing the lines between spoiler and not because the book is being marketed as a post-apocalyptic/dystopian book… which given the premise of the story gives away pretty much the entire plot, making spoiler-tagging anything moot. But okay, let’s play pretend you don’t know what will happen:
When she was fifteen, Blythe Halowell was abducted by a survivalist under the belief that he has chosen to save her from the world’s impending end. For seventeen years she stays locked away from the rest of the supposedly ending world. In that time, Blythe suffers through endless cycles of failures, haunting memories, melancholy and infinite madness. And as if holding on to hope and sanity under such conditions wasn’t impossible enough, she has to raise their son, Adam. Their subterranean fortress is an isolated world controlled by the rules and proclamations of a mad man who claims to be protecting them from the harsh world Above.
So that’s the first half of the book. The second half deals with
Above has 384-pages with seven long-ass chapters divided into two parts and told entirely from the perspective of Blythe Halowell, a sixteen year old girl who comes from an long line of old-school Protestants from Kansas. Oh and she loves poetry. Seeing as the first half of the book documents her days and her thought process while in the silo, I expected it to be a painful experience but it really wasn’t. Much of the life that was taken away from her slips in and out of her days as she lives out her isolation and it was done pretty well.
Instead of day and night, there is Lights On and Lights Out. Instead of Monday, instead of month, hour, and minute, there is only Sleep and Awake. Two seasons, I’ll say that much. Despair, a packed-down bitter cold, and Memory.
It does take a bit of a stretch in my imagination to accept these as the thoughts of a sixteen-year old girl living in a farm and I had some difficulty distinguishing the growth in her character as a thirty-four year old woman later on. That aside, I like the consistency in the little details in her character. That despite the fact that she has been described as someone who writes poetry as a hobby, it was reflected more on her thoughts with how she fits words together and makes sense of the things going on around her than the obvious.
It’s in all of us to harm someone else, even those we love. We deceive them or betray them or we throw things at them. How else are we to know they bruise or bleed? How else are we to know the relief of being forgiven?
While the poetry bit was subtly hinted at, her old-school Protestant roots bleeds a bit more often in her thoughts and feelings. And it was okay though thematically it was a little too obvious as ‘communion-wafer sunlight’ (to name one) isn’t really something I come across often. It doesn’t bother me as a reader, it was noticeable but it didn’t make Blythe any less capable of holding my attention while I navigate the crazy twists this ride took.
The unique predicament they find themselves in may have helped but I liked the complexity and the unique perspectives offered by Adam and Dobbs’ characters. I wondered about a character like Dobbs when I was reading Gated and I’m quite happy how this explored that possibility I was playing with in my mind. Adam’s wide-eyed innocence was charming and heartbreaking at first but something I felt that figured too prominently too long in the story that eventual he started to remind me a bit of Ben Stiller’s character in Tropic Thunder.
Kirk Lazarus is not amused.
Much of Above was enjoyable and gripping. I found myself cursing the long chapters because this was particularly hard to set aside and accomplish things in real life. I liked the creativity in making the Above plausible and the smallest details in Adam and Blythe’s early explorations were simultaneously fascinating and eerie.
And I feel a bit cheated out of a better ending because a lot of that momentum was lost right around the 75% mark. I found Marcus as a secondary character overstayed his welcome and the entire Lawrence side-trip sluggish and boring. The last section where felt this side of contrived and convenient. Even the dialogue and scenes felt too Hallmarky for my taste towards the end.
Missing can make a day take forever to end; remembering, though, can make it fly.
I’m not sure how I was expecting this to end but I certainly didn’t expect to feel the emotional manipulation as late as the last 50 pages.
For all my griping and whining, I cannot deny how much I enjoyed this book. And the very things that bothered me, I can imagine others would find as strengths. A post-apocalyptic/dystopian book that doesn’t involve a game to the death centred on a “kickass” heroine… isn’t that reason enough to pick this up?
ARC provided by Gallery Books thru Netgalley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. Quotes may not appear in the final edition.
June 20, 2014
I think it’s safe to say at this point in my life I was not the intended audience for this book. I wanted to show up for the party, and I had every intention of dancing with a pretty lass until the world ended, and I met my maker on the back of a pickup truck. But, alas, it twas not to be. The door was slammed in my face, and I was unable to march through the threshold. Or maybe I was at the bottom of a pit while the laughing hyena on top smiled and grinned at me.
Blythe Hallowell didn’t really work for me as a character, and as the leader of this charade, I felt more than a little cheated and dismayed. Sure, she’s lived a sheltered life, kept against her will, and has a son named Adam who is her pride and joy. But she seemed to travel back in time in both spirit and vocabulary, instead of dealing with the present apocalypse at hand. The plot seemed more than a little out of place within the ABOVE pages, and my mind raced a little too hard to fill in a few of the story gaps. Or maybe that was just my memory lapse.
Dobbs didn’t really have a decent bone in his body, and I like to see a bit more from my villains. He was more one-dimensional enemy than a man who got lost somewhere within the confines of this life or the next. And he had plenty of time to build up a little rapport with the heroine of this tale, but he failed on multiple levels.
The big escape left me grasping for more, even if my wishes were going to remain unfulfilled. And a life such as this could have used a little more bliss, even if the world was ready to end. And the big reveal at the end of this tale left me shaking my head, as I turned in for bed. I slipped away hoping to come back again someday, only to have my world filled with a shimmering array of darkness.
Maybe, though, I just need to blame myself for not getting it and call it a day, because while I like to think I have a grand master plan if the world were to come to an end tomorrow. I don’t. I’d probably just pack up my ship and sail out to sea and hope that a monster with a few extra tentacles somehow doesn’t find me.
I received this book for free through NetGalley.
Cross-posted at Robert's Reads
Blythe Hallowell didn’t really work for me as a character, and as the leader of this charade, I felt more than a little cheated and dismayed. Sure, she’s lived a sheltered life, kept against her will, and has a son named Adam who is her pride and joy. But she seemed to travel back in time in both spirit and vocabulary, instead of dealing with the present apocalypse at hand. The plot seemed more than a little out of place within the ABOVE pages, and my mind raced a little too hard to fill in a few of the story gaps. Or maybe that was just my memory lapse.
Dobbs didn’t really have a decent bone in his body, and I like to see a bit more from my villains. He was more one-dimensional enemy than a man who got lost somewhere within the confines of this life or the next. And he had plenty of time to build up a little rapport with the heroine of this tale, but he failed on multiple levels.
The big escape left me grasping for more, even if my wishes were going to remain unfulfilled. And a life such as this could have used a little more bliss, even if the world was ready to end. And the big reveal at the end of this tale left me shaking my head, as I turned in for bed. I slipped away hoping to come back again someday, only to have my world filled with a shimmering array of darkness.
Maybe, though, I just need to blame myself for not getting it and call it a day, because while I like to think I have a grand master plan if the world were to come to an end tomorrow. I don’t. I’d probably just pack up my ship and sail out to sea and hope that a monster with a few extra tentacles somehow doesn’t find me.
I received this book for free through NetGalley.
Cross-posted at Robert's Reads
January 7, 2015
This is a book in two halves - “Below” and “Above” and overall I am pretty divided in my feelings about it. It is a very hard book to review without giving away the plot, but I am going to try anyway. I really liked the first half of the book, the story of Blythe’s abduction by a quietly scary survivalist Dobbs Hordin and her 17 year captivity. She is held deep underground in a disused concrete missile silo, a world which came across as claustrophobic, dark and totally cut off from the outside world. Her captor just oozes that sort of quiet, brooding menace which I think really makes for an excellent villain. The sort of villain whose mind is always closed and you can never second guess what he is going to do.
The second half deals with her escape, along with her 15 year old son who she bore in captivity and their life “Above”. This did come as a complete surprise to me and there were parts of it that I really liked, although I did think that the author’s world building went a few steps too far and I found parts of it really hard to believe. More characters are introduced, which alleviated some of the intensity of the read and I got the feeling, although I may be wrong, that this is perhaps the start of a series. I wasn’t very keen on the ending which, after so much trauma and danger, seemed to come across as rather twee and “neat”. Having said that, I was intrigued enough to read more of Blythe’s story if a further book was in the offing. Thanks to the publisher for the review copy.
The second half deals with her escape, along with her 15 year old son who she bore in captivity and their life “Above”. This did come as a complete surprise to me and there were parts of it that I really liked, although I did think that the author’s world building went a few steps too far and I found parts of it really hard to believe. More characters are introduced, which alleviated some of the intensity of the read and I got the feeling, although I may be wrong, that this is perhaps the start of a series. I wasn’t very keen on the ending which, after so much trauma and danger, seemed to come across as rather twee and “neat”. Having said that, I was intrigued enough to read more of Blythe’s story if a further book was in the offing. Thanks to the publisher for the review copy.
October 9, 2013
As I read ABOVE, there were many times that I realized that I was holding my breath and I was perched at the edge of my seat! To say it was riveting, would be an understatement!
I think that they should sell a nerve pill with this book!
At one point I found myself straining to read the words...only to realize that the sun had gone down and I had not even noticed that I was sitting in the dark!
Isla Morley is a masterful writer and ABOVE is a must read!!
I think that they should sell a nerve pill with this book!
At one point I found myself straining to read the words...only to realize that the sun had gone down and I had not even noticed that I was sitting in the dark!
Isla Morley is a masterful writer and ABOVE is a must read!!
February 28, 2014
16 years old Blythe Hallowell is abducted and imprisoned in a abandoned Kansas missile silo. Her captor is a survivalist who tells her that the world as we know it is ending and they will be the only survivors. Through first person narration. Blythe tells of her years of imprisonment which include the birth of her son and his upbringing in this hell of an existence. She tells her child her own fabricated story of why they are kept underground which, along with her captor's seemingly crazy raves, she is hopeful will satisfy her son and lessen his own misery. Eventually they escape and...
It is hard to evaluate Above by Isla Morley without bringing up the recent bestseller Room. Anyone who read Emma Donaghue's book will see the similarities in my short synopsis. Yet for the first half of Above, it is clear Isla Morley brings alive the drama and the terror of abduction in a much more empathic way than Donoghue. One of the reasons is that Morley writes of the experience in the first person narrative of Blythe rather than Donoghue's very difficult and ultimately unsuccessful first person narration by a 6 year old child. But Morley also does a nice turn in being able to start the narration in the eyes of a teenager yet lets the narration become more mature yet still a little mentally stunted in the teens as one would expect with such a long imprisonment and the lack of social interaction and normal development. It's a very nice trick and keep the reader interested in her plight. Her captor remains an enigma and, purposely I think, wanders precariously between caring and uncaring. He is clearly deranged and cruel but how and why remains to be seen...or in this case, read.
It's a harrowing read. Isla Morley catches the loneliness and hopelessness quite well. It can be a little shocking and is definitely uncomfortable as we read about the young Blythe giving birth and attempting to care for her child with virtually no help from anyone else and no medical aid. One of the most poignant parts of the novel involve her interaction with a child who is not her son. The book becomes a all-in-one sitting affair as it moves from her capture through her years of imprisonment to her escape.
And then...
Something happens. Without giving any spoilers, Blythe's escape changes the plot, the themes and pretty much everything including, unfortunately, the tense pace of the telling. Even with a few hints in the first half, the second half feels disjointed like it is a different book. The author stills write well and moves the plot along. But there is no longer the taut suspense or the single-minded intensity of Blythe's Plight. (Sorry. Couldn't resist the word play.) It is hard to say anything else without giving the surprise away but it was a little of a letdown. That is something both Capture and Room have in common; a second half that pales compared to the first half. Morley ends the book with a poignant wrap-up eliciting the heroine's views on the meaning of freedom. It beautifully ends the novel and brings both halves together but it took a long time for that to happen.
Nonetheless it is easy to recommend this book on the first half alone. I reread the ending to the first part and couldn't help thinking what a brilliant ending it would have been if Blythe simply stepped out into the unknown. One of my favorite cult films is John Sayles' Limbo in which a family stranded in the Alaskan wilderness wait for a plane to land knowing it will bring either the means to their escape or certain death. Then it ends abruptly. Sometimes uncertainty is beautiful. Yet even with a not so brilliant second half, Above remains a riveting read favored with a strong female protagonist and plenty of drama.
Three and a half stars.
It is hard to evaluate Above by Isla Morley without bringing up the recent bestseller Room. Anyone who read Emma Donaghue's book will see the similarities in my short synopsis. Yet for the first half of Above, it is clear Isla Morley brings alive the drama and the terror of abduction in a much more empathic way than Donoghue. One of the reasons is that Morley writes of the experience in the first person narrative of Blythe rather than Donoghue's very difficult and ultimately unsuccessful first person narration by a 6 year old child. But Morley also does a nice turn in being able to start the narration in the eyes of a teenager yet lets the narration become more mature yet still a little mentally stunted in the teens as one would expect with such a long imprisonment and the lack of social interaction and normal development. It's a very nice trick and keep the reader interested in her plight. Her captor remains an enigma and, purposely I think, wanders precariously between caring and uncaring. He is clearly deranged and cruel but how and why remains to be seen...or in this case, read.
It's a harrowing read. Isla Morley catches the loneliness and hopelessness quite well. It can be a little shocking and is definitely uncomfortable as we read about the young Blythe giving birth and attempting to care for her child with virtually no help from anyone else and no medical aid. One of the most poignant parts of the novel involve her interaction with a child who is not her son. The book becomes a all-in-one sitting affair as it moves from her capture through her years of imprisonment to her escape.
And then...
Something happens. Without giving any spoilers, Blythe's escape changes the plot, the themes and pretty much everything including, unfortunately, the tense pace of the telling. Even with a few hints in the first half, the second half feels disjointed like it is a different book. The author stills write well and moves the plot along. But there is no longer the taut suspense or the single-minded intensity of Blythe's Plight. (Sorry. Couldn't resist the word play.) It is hard to say anything else without giving the surprise away but it was a little of a letdown. That is something both Capture and Room have in common; a second half that pales compared to the first half. Morley ends the book with a poignant wrap-up eliciting the heroine's views on the meaning of freedom. It beautifully ends the novel and brings both halves together but it took a long time for that to happen.
Nonetheless it is easy to recommend this book on the first half alone. I reread the ending to the first part and couldn't help thinking what a brilliant ending it would have been if Blythe simply stepped out into the unknown. One of my favorite cult films is John Sayles' Limbo in which a family stranded in the Alaskan wilderness wait for a plane to land knowing it will bring either the means to their escape or certain death. Then it ends abruptly. Sometimes uncertainty is beautiful. Yet even with a not so brilliant second half, Above remains a riveting read favored with a strong female protagonist and plenty of drama.
Three and a half stars.
February 12, 2014
This review can also be read at The Nightly Book Owl.
This book is okay. The main problem I had with this book is that it feels like it’s two books crammed into one. The first half deals with the kidnapping and the captivity of Blythe while the other half deals with the aftermath of the escape. The biggest issue I had with this is that the tone of the book changed instantly. I would have much preferred it to be a gradual change because it made the book feel inconsistent.
Plot: I definitely preferred the first half of this book. It seemed less rushed. It certainly made me gasp and feel horrified. It’s about a girl named Blythe who is kidnapped by the school librarian and paranoid prepper, Dobbs. The first half of the book tells the story of her years in captivity. I thought this was quite well done for the most part. The next half of the book is about what happens after the escape. I won’t give away anything, but it seems as if there is something to what Dobbs was saying after all.
I like that this book makes you think. It deals with captivity, hatred, finding hope, forgiveness, and belonging. However, the writing is a quite messy sometimes and jumps around a lot which was quite distracting. I found myself having to reread things which definitely took away from the story. And overall, I wanted to feel hope. In captivity stories, hope should be one of the main aspects of the story, but I didn’t feel that here. For the most part, all I felt was horror and fear which I was not fond of.
Characters: I had a big problem with Blythe. Her emotions and reactions didn’t feel quite real, and I couldn’t connect with her, and in a book about captivity, this connection is essential. For quite a while I thought this was set a long time ago because Blythe is very old-fashioned, but it turns out that’s not the case.
I also had a problem with her son, Adam. I understand that Adam has never seen the world above the silo, so he is very innocent and naïve, but it was just too much. Adam makes a lot of stupid mistakes like calling attention to them when they’re trying to escape. He is too childlike. For example, there is a scene where they must keep walking and avoid being followed and pursued, and Adam sees a dog. No matter how much his mother tells him no and that it would only hinder their progress, Adam is stubborn and wants the dog. Adam is hardheaded and naïve to the point of being irritating.
Overall, I thought this book was okay. I’m not a big fan of the writing because I feel it’s a bit jumpy and messy, but I did like reading about the silo years. It made me feel fear, hope, hatred, and love. I definitely would have liked more consistency from this book and more realistic characters. This book says that it is a cross between Room and Lovely Bones, but I feel as if it is more like the former, so I would recommend this to people who liked Room. I can see the appeal of this book, but it just wasn’t for me.
This book is okay. The main problem I had with this book is that it feels like it’s two books crammed into one. The first half deals with the kidnapping and the captivity of Blythe while the other half deals with the aftermath of the escape. The biggest issue I had with this is that the tone of the book changed instantly. I would have much preferred it to be a gradual change because it made the book feel inconsistent.
Plot: I definitely preferred the first half of this book. It seemed less rushed. It certainly made me gasp and feel horrified. It’s about a girl named Blythe who is kidnapped by the school librarian and paranoid prepper, Dobbs. The first half of the book tells the story of her years in captivity. I thought this was quite well done for the most part. The next half of the book is about what happens after the escape. I won’t give away anything, but it seems as if there is something to what Dobbs was saying after all.
I like that this book makes you think. It deals with captivity, hatred, finding hope, forgiveness, and belonging. However, the writing is a quite messy sometimes and jumps around a lot which was quite distracting. I found myself having to reread things which definitely took away from the story. And overall, I wanted to feel hope. In captivity stories, hope should be one of the main aspects of the story, but I didn’t feel that here. For the most part, all I felt was horror and fear which I was not fond of.
Characters: I had a big problem with Blythe. Her emotions and reactions didn’t feel quite real, and I couldn’t connect with her, and in a book about captivity, this connection is essential. For quite a while I thought this was set a long time ago because Blythe is very old-fashioned, but it turns out that’s not the case.
I also had a problem with her son, Adam. I understand that Adam has never seen the world above the silo, so he is very innocent and naïve, but it was just too much. Adam makes a lot of stupid mistakes like calling attention to them when they’re trying to escape. He is too childlike. For example, there is a scene where they must keep walking and avoid being followed and pursued, and Adam sees a dog. No matter how much his mother tells him no and that it would only hinder their progress, Adam is stubborn and wants the dog. Adam is hardheaded and naïve to the point of being irritating.
Overall, I thought this book was okay. I’m not a big fan of the writing because I feel it’s a bit jumpy and messy, but I did like reading about the silo years. It made me feel fear, hope, hatred, and love. I definitely would have liked more consistency from this book and more realistic characters. This book says that it is a cross between Room and Lovely Bones, but I feel as if it is more like the former, so I would recommend this to people who liked Room. I can see the appeal of this book, but it just wasn’t for me.
February 21, 2014
The synopsis for Above was pretty much an instant sell for me - along with the cover that I think it all kinds of awesome, I knew that I had to read this book. Although I tried to ignore the comparison to Room and The Lovely Bones because comparisons rarely work for me personally, having loved Room and liked The Lovely Bones I was really looking forward to Blythe's story.
Morley starts the story when Blythe is abducted, which is the first thing I really appreciated about Above - there's no long-winded lead up and goes straight into the storyline rather than setting a scene. The only problem was that I actually didn't like Blythe all that much at the beginning - she's incredibly naive and doesn't really seem to take her situation seriously for the first few days and although it could have been explained away by shock and confusion, I didn't respect or admire the way she reacted. We were off to a bad start in the reader-character relationship.
What Morley does very well with Blythe's character however, is capture how being isolated from the rest of the world stunts her emotional growth. Which is also hard to explain without giving away major parts of the plot, but it comes back into play later in the story when she misses some very obvious clues about things that are happening around her. It could have been a frustrating experience, but it's so convincing that I could really appreciate the intricacy of creating such a character.
There are also large time jumps in the plot that I was a little disappointed in - jumping straight from the first two days to four months later and just mentioning her escape attempts didn't give me the depth of emotion and desperation that I was hoping for.
However, as Blythe's time in the silo progresses, the plot becomes more compelling, dark and at times quite overwhelming in it's intensity. Although her captor isn't violent, he's certainly unstable and his character really adds to the atmosphere - Blythe's constant uncertainty and dancing around Dobbs was almost hypnotising.
The first half of the book focuses solely on Blythe's life in the silo and particularly focuses on her difficult and constantly-changing relationship with Dobbs. At times she fears him, at others is ambivalent and at times she appears to hold all the cards - the relationship is appropriately complex and watching it seesaw between Blythe and Dobbs was a real rollercoaster.
The plot changes direction in the second half of the book when Blythe escapes the silo with her teenage son, Adam. This is also the stage in which I really started to appreciate the story, Blythe's character and the strength of Morley's writing style. Although it's quite flitty in places, it speaks volumes, and in particular Adam's reaction to the world outside the silo shows amazing imagination in portraying how someone would react to the sky, dirt, rocks etc. for the very first time in their lives. Adam's age also means that he puts his fascination into words, which works far better than it would have with a younger character.
I liked the second part far more than the first part, and that's pretty much because I felt the first half dragged just a little too much in places - which sounds ironic given the frequent time jumps, but I was very much ready for more action by the time Blythe left the silo.
The ending was a point of conflict for me - in some ways I thought it was absolutely perfect, but I also felt like a few key plot lines weren't tied up as neatly as I liked. I'm not particular about everything being squared away neatly, but there were a few relationships that didn't feel completely resolved. Overall, Above has a lot of appealing characteristics, despite a few small issues that I think are more personal to me than readers in general.
Morley starts the story when Blythe is abducted, which is the first thing I really appreciated about Above - there's no long-winded lead up and goes straight into the storyline rather than setting a scene. The only problem was that I actually didn't like Blythe all that much at the beginning - she's incredibly naive and doesn't really seem to take her situation seriously for the first few days and although it could have been explained away by shock and confusion, I didn't respect or admire the way she reacted. We were off to a bad start in the reader-character relationship.
What Morley does very well with Blythe's character however, is capture how being isolated from the rest of the world stunts her emotional growth. Which is also hard to explain without giving away major parts of the plot, but it comes back into play later in the story when she misses some very obvious clues about things that are happening around her. It could have been a frustrating experience, but it's so convincing that I could really appreciate the intricacy of creating such a character.
There are also large time jumps in the plot that I was a little disappointed in - jumping straight from the first two days to four months later and just mentioning her escape attempts didn't give me the depth of emotion and desperation that I was hoping for.
However, as Blythe's time in the silo progresses, the plot becomes more compelling, dark and at times quite overwhelming in it's intensity. Although her captor isn't violent, he's certainly unstable and his character really adds to the atmosphere - Blythe's constant uncertainty and dancing around Dobbs was almost hypnotising.
The first half of the book focuses solely on Blythe's life in the silo and particularly focuses on her difficult and constantly-changing relationship with Dobbs. At times she fears him, at others is ambivalent and at times she appears to hold all the cards - the relationship is appropriately complex and watching it seesaw between Blythe and Dobbs was a real rollercoaster.
The plot changes direction in the second half of the book when Blythe escapes the silo with her teenage son, Adam. This is also the stage in which I really started to appreciate the story, Blythe's character and the strength of Morley's writing style. Although it's quite flitty in places, it speaks volumes, and in particular Adam's reaction to the world outside the silo shows amazing imagination in portraying how someone would react to the sky, dirt, rocks etc. for the very first time in their lives. Adam's age also means that he puts his fascination into words, which works far better than it would have with a younger character.
I liked the second part far more than the first part, and that's pretty much because I felt the first half dragged just a little too much in places - which sounds ironic given the frequent time jumps, but I was very much ready for more action by the time Blythe left the silo.
The ending was a point of conflict for me - in some ways I thought it was absolutely perfect, but I also felt like a few key plot lines weren't tied up as neatly as I liked. I'm not particular about everything being squared away neatly, but there were a few relationships that didn't feel completely resolved. Overall, Above has a lot of appealing characteristics, despite a few small issues that I think are more personal to me than readers in general.
February 11, 2014
"Freedom...Its other name is Choosing."
Abduction and Apocalypse - a story of "survival, resilience, and hope."
First off, this novel has little to no similarity to either ROOM or to THE LOVELY BONES. To compare them is to do all of the very different stories an injustice. Start with an open mind.
Blythe is just 16 years old when she is kidnapped and taken down below ground into an abandoned missile silo in Kansas by a disaster survivalist who has created an impenetrable bunker deep in the bowels of the earth. Dobbs Hordin met Blythe when he was working in the Eudora high school library and abducts her while she is walking home from a town celebration. He's completely convinced that armegedon is imminent and has made complex and complicated plans for survival and for propagating the species afterwards. The first part of the book deals with Blythe's life while imprisoned in the silo. Every day and each event that Blythe endures in the dark and stale compartments below the Kansas plain is one of self-sacrifice and infused with desperation for freedom and return to the family and life she knew before. Dobbs makes frequent missions outside of their compound and returns with supplies and news -- but he is not to be trusted so Blythe has no way to know what is really going on in the world above. Blythe struggles as she is first required to be Dobbs's mate and then to raise a child. She tries to stay alive and mentally intact through her memories but all she can think of is getting OUT.
That day of emancipation comes after 17 years in captivity and what she finds when she and Adam open the doors of the silo is not at all what she had prayed for, hoped for, or imagined it would be. The last parts of the book deal with Blythe and Adam as they come face to face with a changed world and try to reconcile all that happened and forge a new existence. To discover that to live might just take more than to survive the worst.
The book is set in current day but sometimes the character of Blythe didn't ring true when compared to teenagers I know -- she seemed much more old-fashioned -- which was sort of off putting. There are serious religious overtones at times in the writing, though the apocalypse isn't suggested to be a punishment, but definitely it is has heavy social commentary. Sometimes the internal dialog that Blythe has with herself seems a stream of consciousness blathering that occasionally went on too long and the reader indeed gets the message that this is not the world whose memories kept Blythe going and to which she wanted to return. Yes, there were deaths and changes. Many stereotypical characters that will be recognized by anyone who reads post-apocalyptic fiction -- the good guys and the bad guys.
Overall, I enjoyed the story. I think it's one that all ages will devour -- it would make a great movie! Lots of good points for discussion in a book club and I'm definitely going to recommend it to young adult readers as well. I'd love to have a paper format to get one of the teens to review.
Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books for the ARC e-book to review.
Abduction and Apocalypse - a story of "survival, resilience, and hope."
First off, this novel has little to no similarity to either ROOM or to THE LOVELY BONES. To compare them is to do all of the very different stories an injustice. Start with an open mind.
Blythe is just 16 years old when she is kidnapped and taken down below ground into an abandoned missile silo in Kansas by a disaster survivalist who has created an impenetrable bunker deep in the bowels of the earth. Dobbs Hordin met Blythe when he was working in the Eudora high school library and abducts her while she is walking home from a town celebration. He's completely convinced that armegedon is imminent and has made complex and complicated plans for survival and for propagating the species afterwards. The first part of the book deals with Blythe's life while imprisoned in the silo. Every day and each event that Blythe endures in the dark and stale compartments below the Kansas plain is one of self-sacrifice and infused with desperation for freedom and return to the family and life she knew before. Dobbs makes frequent missions outside of their compound and returns with supplies and news -- but he is not to be trusted so Blythe has no way to know what is really going on in the world above. Blythe struggles as she is first required to be Dobbs's mate and then to raise a child. She tries to stay alive and mentally intact through her memories but all she can think of is getting OUT.
That day of emancipation comes after 17 years in captivity and what she finds when she and Adam open the doors of the silo is not at all what she had prayed for, hoped for, or imagined it would be. The last parts of the book deal with Blythe and Adam as they come face to face with a changed world and try to reconcile all that happened and forge a new existence. To discover that to live might just take more than to survive the worst.
The book is set in current day but sometimes the character of Blythe didn't ring true when compared to teenagers I know -- she seemed much more old-fashioned -- which was sort of off putting. There are serious religious overtones at times in the writing, though the apocalypse isn't suggested to be a punishment, but definitely it is has heavy social commentary. Sometimes the internal dialog that Blythe has with herself seems a stream of consciousness blathering that occasionally went on too long and the reader indeed gets the message that this is not the world whose memories kept Blythe going and to which she wanted to return. Yes, there were deaths and changes. Many stereotypical characters that will be recognized by anyone who reads post-apocalyptic fiction -- the good guys and the bad guys.
Overall, I enjoyed the story. I think it's one that all ages will devour -- it would make a great movie! Lots of good points for discussion in a book club and I'm definitely going to recommend it to young adult readers as well. I'd love to have a paper format to get one of the teens to review.
Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books for the ARC e-book to review.
May 12, 2014
Dobbs is an extreme Prepper. You know the individuals, the ones who prepare for worse case scenarios; storing up weapons, water and supplies believing that when these events strike they will survive, well Dobbs was excessive. The missile silo was perfect to contain his valued possessions and after many years, it was finally ready. He’d thought of everything and I do mean everything, he puts the people on the TV series to shame. Dobbs was prepared to start his own colony with all of the assets that were inside his bunker; he just needed one more thing. Blythe. Dobbs had been keeping an eye on sixteen-year old Blythe and he knew she was just perfect to complete what he set out to do. She never made it home that night, but found herself in Dobb’s vehicle wishing she had never accepted the ride. Blythe did not want to be part of Dobb’s Remnant as he told her of his plans. She is one feisty girl from day one. The days turn into months, which turn into years as Blythe goes through the motions of living inside a silo cutoff from civilization. Think dark, depressing and lonely and that describes Blythe’s days. When her son Adam is born, Adam asks lots of questions about the world outside the silo, adding tension and frustration to the household. Blythe feels torn between Adam and Dobbs, fear and the love of her child are tearing her up. Dobbs has warned the two about the despair that lies outside the silo walls but the duo is desperate to break free from the confines of their walls. As Adam and Blythe finally open the door and breathe in the fresh air from outside, is the freedom that they have been craving awaiting them or did Dobbs speak the truth?
I loved this book! I was so excited to read this that I could not wait to get my hands on it. Dobbs was the extreme Prepper, he thought of everything and the author did a great job with details explaining Dobbs, his actions and behavior – such a hard, detailed, centered individual. Blythe, a character that I loved at times and others I wanted to yell at her (which makes her a great character to me). She comes from a small town (my impression) so her actions reflect that but she’s so determined and so feisty in her actions. She also has heart, she knows right from wrong and even in the worst case, she tries to stand by her morals. Adam, was a fun kid and as he grows up he becomes a typical teen being rebellious and asking questions. The book covered a lot of years but the author did a terrific job incorporating a lot of different aspects into the book and with her choice of words, this time flow was terrific. There are so many details in the book that I enjoyed but I don’t want to spoil the book for others. I will say that I laughed about Adam’s tattoos and will never forget Sunflower.
“Its sunlight, son. I can’t turn it off.”
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion. Thanks NetGalley!!
I loved this book! I was so excited to read this that I could not wait to get my hands on it. Dobbs was the extreme Prepper, he thought of everything and the author did a great job with details explaining Dobbs, his actions and behavior – such a hard, detailed, centered individual. Blythe, a character that I loved at times and others I wanted to yell at her (which makes her a great character to me). She comes from a small town (my impression) so her actions reflect that but she’s so determined and so feisty in her actions. She also has heart, she knows right from wrong and even in the worst case, she tries to stand by her morals. Adam, was a fun kid and as he grows up he becomes a typical teen being rebellious and asking questions. The book covered a lot of years but the author did a terrific job incorporating a lot of different aspects into the book and with her choice of words, this time flow was terrific. There are so many details in the book that I enjoyed but I don’t want to spoil the book for others. I will say that I laughed about Adam’s tattoos and will never forget Sunflower.
“Its sunlight, son. I can’t turn it off.”
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion. Thanks NetGalley!!
February 14, 2014
An extreme end-of-the-world survivalist chooses his perfect mate to re-populate the world, and so begins a dark and twisted tale of kidnapping, captivity and some totally unpredictable events that I didn’t see coming. Above by Isla Morley locks 16 year-old Blythe within an underground prison, the ‘Eve’ to her captor’s role as ‘Adam’ as he claims the world has been decimated by a catastrophic event that leaves no one untouched, most people dead. Cut off from the world for seventeen years, Blythe faces the death of a child at birth and finally the birth of Adam, who becomes her world. Her captor, Dobbs, tells little of the outside world and long ago, Blythe gave up on escape or being found, until one day, she and Adam manage to overpower Dobbs and both are unprepared for the world they find. Adam must face the shock of open space, wind, dirt, sunlight and the sounds his mother has only told him about. Blythe discovers a world so polar opposite from her memories; it will take every ounce of determination to move on.
Above is a story of loss, terror, madness and hope, filled with the determination to survive. Isla Morley has created a raw and startling story that spans many years, much pain and finally a stark reality that seems impossible to grasp. Her characters are unsettling, as is the world she has created. Vascillating from seemingly weak and compliant to fiercely protective and strong, Blythe actually proves to be a fascinating character, considering the circumstances under which she lived from such a young age. Adam has the resiliency of youth, once his initial fears begin to subside. An intense read that will evoke emotions and find you pondering what you would do in this situation. But can we really say?
I received an ARC edition from Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books in exchange for my honest review.
Publication Date: March 4, 2014
Publisher: Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books
ISBN: 9781476731520
Genre: Literature/Fiction (Adult), Women's Fiction
Number of Pages: 384
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Above is a story of loss, terror, madness and hope, filled with the determination to survive. Isla Morley has created a raw and startling story that spans many years, much pain and finally a stark reality that seems impossible to grasp. Her characters are unsettling, as is the world she has created. Vascillating from seemingly weak and compliant to fiercely protective and strong, Blythe actually proves to be a fascinating character, considering the circumstances under which she lived from such a young age. Adam has the resiliency of youth, once his initial fears begin to subside. An intense read that will evoke emotions and find you pondering what you would do in this situation. But can we really say?
I received an ARC edition from Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books in exchange for my honest review.
Publication Date: March 4, 2014
Publisher: Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books
ISBN: 9781476731520
Genre: Literature/Fiction (Adult), Women's Fiction
Number of Pages: 384
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
February 1, 2014
I received this book as a Goodreads first-reads selection and I am glad I did. I really enjoyed this book. It took me only a few days to read as it truly kept you engrossed. The story is that of 16 year old Blythe whom one night is abducted by the school librarian and is taken to an abandoned silo. The librarian, Dobbs, can talk of nothing else but the apocalypse and how he is protecting Blythe from the chaos which will ensue. Blythe is kept underground in the silo for nearly 17 years; a time in which she gives birth to a still-born, becomes the surrogate mother to another child Dobbs takes and lastly gives birth to her son Adam.
Fast forward 15 years when Blythe and her son Adam escape the silo only to go above ground and find that Dobbs wasn't crazy after all, the world did nearly come to an end and Blythe and Adam are not as equipped as they thought they would be to deal with the changes this brings to their lives.
The book was riveting and written with such beautiful prose that it was impossible to put down. I only have two criticisms regarding the book. The first was when I opened my package with the book inside I was surprised to find a different cover of a farm landscape which I did not find as appealing as the one with the one with the vibrant colors on it. From a marketing standpoint I'm not sure I would have picked the cover I received, but that is just me. I'm always attracted to the cover first, the book second. Lastly, it was mentioned that it was reminiscent of the book Room, which other than both protagonists being kidnapped and giving birth to their captures children I found little if anything similar between the two books.
Fast forward 15 years when Blythe and her son Adam escape the silo only to go above ground and find that Dobbs wasn't crazy after all, the world did nearly come to an end and Blythe and Adam are not as equipped as they thought they would be to deal with the changes this brings to their lives.
The book was riveting and written with such beautiful prose that it was impossible to put down. I only have two criticisms regarding the book. The first was when I opened my package with the book inside I was surprised to find a different cover of a farm landscape which I did not find as appealing as the one with the one with the vibrant colors on it. From a marketing standpoint I'm not sure I would have picked the cover I received, but that is just me. I'm always attracted to the cover first, the book second. Lastly, it was mentioned that it was reminiscent of the book Room, which other than both protagonists being kidnapped and giving birth to their captures children I found little if anything similar between the two books.
May 20, 2020
3.5 stars. *Audiobook version*
First, let me say I did enjoy many aspects of this, and I actually remember if 4 years later, which is saying something!
I can't say I wasn't entertained, but I admit I found myself yelling at the book pretty often. The truth is, this could have been a really great story, but it was diminished for me by a character that was... well, I have to say it — kind of stupid. Listen, in real life, is someone was in this situation, I'd make a serious effort to be more understanding, but this character was made this way. It was intentional, so it's a little harder to accept.
A little bit of denial and naivete is to be expected, given that it's a 16 year old Nebraskan small-town girl put in a bad situation. However, when she constantly makes ridiculous assumptions and asks clueless questions... UGH. There was a moment in the book when Blythe was talking to another character, who said something so similarly ludicrous that I think I said out loud "Is EVERYONE in this book completely stupid?!?"
Okay, got that out of the way. I don't mean to sound so harsh, because like I said, beyond that, the story is really very interesting. It's just a bit flawed from the issue outlined above.
I'd actually like to read more of this story, but I just can't take any more of a character who has such a failure to use her brain and have a remotely realistic perception of reality.
First, let me say I did enjoy many aspects of this, and I actually remember if 4 years later, which is saying something!
I can't say I wasn't entertained, but I admit I found myself yelling at the book pretty often. The truth is, this could have been a really great story, but it was diminished for me by a character that was... well, I have to say it — kind of stupid. Listen, in real life, is someone was in this situation, I'd make a serious effort to be more understanding, but this character was made this way. It was intentional, so it's a little harder to accept.
A little bit of denial and naivete is to be expected, given that it's a 16 year old Nebraskan small-town girl put in a bad situation. However, when she constantly makes ridiculous assumptions and asks clueless questions... UGH. There was a moment in the book when Blythe was talking to another character, who said something so similarly ludicrous that I think I said out loud "Is EVERYONE in this book completely stupid?!?"
Okay, got that out of the way. I don't mean to sound so harsh, because like I said, beyond that, the story is really very interesting. It's just a bit flawed from the issue outlined above.
I'd actually like to read more of this story, but I just can't take any more of a character who has such a failure to use her brain and have a remotely realistic perception of reality.
March 14, 2014
I was essentially spoiler free going into this book only knowing that it was about a girl who is kidnapped and kept in a missile silo. Something totally up my alley, suspense, danger etc. That was delivered the first 50% of the book then I was surprised to find myself reading a dystopian novel. Not that I have anything against dystopia; some of my favorite books are of that genre (The Road, The Hunger Games trilogy), but I was disappointed that this book went in that direction. I wanted to see how life was for Blythe "above", in the current world, not in a fantasy future world. I debated between three or four stars finally deciding on four for the nail biting scenes at the beginning and despite my disappointed, I was able to stay interested enough to finish.
March 9, 2014
Isla Morley’s Above is dark, riveting, and completely unpredictable.
At the age of sixteen Blythe Hallowell is abducted and locked away in an abandoned silo in Eudora, Kansas. Her first instinct is to find a way out and return to her family. But as reality begins to set in Blythe learns that there is no way out. As she learns of her captor’s motives terror and madness become her only companions as her captor tries to convince her that he is saving her from the end of the world. When Blythe has a child, captivity takes on a whole new meaning as she struggles to give the child everything that was torn away from her all those years ago.
Above is a beautifully written novel that illustrates what madness and hope can do. Morley has a way of captivating the reader long after the story is over. Above is thought provoking and raw; it will keep the readers guessing as they delve deeper into Blythe’s story. It is truly a spectacular novel that begs to be read. I highly recommend this to anyone who is hungry for a story that will leave them breathless.
February 4, 2014
Abducted at 16 by Dobbs, a crazed survivalist who swears he is saving her from Armageddon, Blythe is taken to an abandoned missile silo underground where she will spend the next 18 years. Soon her memories of the world above is all she has left of her stolen life. The crushing death of hope as well as the disgust she feels for the creepy Dobbs dominates this story. She will bear a son, Adam, with him and he becomes the only light in her imprisonment. Knowing nothing of the real world, Adam grows up underground knowing only that something terrible has happened in the world he has never seen. This story takes a sharp turn in the second half when the lines between what she believed about Dobbs and reality blur. This is one strange story, and the reader will feel just as much confusion about Dobbs as Blythe does. I spent a lot of time feeling disgusted by him, my skin crawling at the thought of his unwanted touch.
Is he savior or abductor? That seems to be the real question. The second part of the novel did drag a little, when we first see the emergence from their 'captivity' but Morley surprised me with the twist. Really enjoyed this one.
Is he savior or abductor? That seems to be the real question. The second part of the novel did drag a little, when we first see the emergence from their 'captivity' but Morley surprised me with the twist. Really enjoyed this one.
March 31, 2014
I was intrigued by the description. The first half of the book was exactly as I was hoping it would be. Raw emotion, strong(ish) female character, surviving a wretched situation. The second half of the book though, that is where I lost interest. At first, I read on because I was hoping it wasn't true. The further I got, the more enraged and frusterated I became. Once it was 100% confirmed, literally by the mouth of the main character, that the man who CAPTURED a 16 YEAR OLD CHILD, WAS RIGHT. That the apocalypse did happen, and made it okay to abduct children on a physcotic whim! oh, and rape them. that too. the captor/rapist became a savior. no. I didn't even finish the book, nor do I plan to.
February 6, 2014
People have compared "Above" to Donoghue's "Room". The only resemblance between the two is in the abduction of a teen who is held captive. There the comparison must end. "Above" is Science fiction. A dystopian tale of hope and self redemption. The writing is clear with enough detail and realism to make one wonder...what if?
June 25, 2014
Isla Morley's Above was Hodderscape's Review Project title for the month of April – a project that I'm woefully behind on, something I aim to fix in the near future – and when I first received my ARC and read the synopsis, I was all kinds of intrigued. The notion of children, and sadly it's most often girls, being snatched and hidden away horrifies me, both as a human being and as a mum. I can only imagine the pain Blythe's parents go through when she disappeared, however Above doesn't consider this at all. Above is all about Blythe, about her experiences and her captivity; we feel her panic, her anger, her despair and eventually her hope for a better, different life. Above delivers a harrowing tale, one that has a happy ending with a giant twist, which was fascinating not because 'Whoa! Apocalypse', but because of the emotional turmoil it throws Blythe into and the fascinating questions it poses of both Blythe and the reader.
The story in Above literally has two halves. The first half is called Below, where we join Blythe the moment she comes to inside the Silo that is to be her home for the next half of her life. It is a truly contained narrative taking place inside a silo with only Blythe, Dobbs, and Adam as active characters. The second half is called Above where we follow Blythe and Adam out of the silo and into a world changed beyond reckoning. While they don't move that far from the silo physically, they may have travelled to the moon for all that Blythe feels alienated by what she finds in the world above and in a painful way she finds she initially has as little agency interacting with the people outside as she had in her captivity with Dobbs. The contrast between the two situations is only heightened by the helplessness Blythe feels in both.
Blythe is our window on to the world as we see it in Above. Throughout the novel Morley sticks close to Blythe's point of view and due to the isolation of her captivity we necessarily spend a lot of time inside her head. We follow Blythe's development from a scared teen convinced she'll be rescued at any moment, into a young woman resigned to surviving as best she can, and finally into a mother bent on escape to save her son. I found myself going from being scared for her to being scared with her, especially in the latter half of the book and I found it hard to step out of her head space when putting the book down. Morley brings Blythe's emotions alive and to the surface without falling into melodrama. Blythe's voice is surprisingly dynamic, confined and isolated though she is.
Our other main character is Adam. Blythe's son, well-loved by her, more mentored than parented by Dobbs, he's a true innocent. Born underground, isolated from humanity, only knowing his parents until he reaches fifteen, he truly is Adam in more ways than one. He's not just Blythe's best hope for a future, but humanity's as well. While Adam is an important character, he's still always seen through Blythe's eyes. And she loves him fiercely and, she comes to discover, jealously. Unused to sharing his attention, trust, and love with anyone other than Dobbs, who both Adam and Blythe refer to as Mister, when they meet other people she has a really hard time accepting what she feels is an invasion and a threat. I love Adam's free spirit and the way we get to see the world made anew through his child-like wonder, when they finally leave the silo.
Apart from Blythe and Adam, there are really only a handful of characters that play more than a background role. The most important of these is Blythe's captor and Adam's father Dobbs. He's a disturbed and unbalanced individual, a survivalist convinced that the apocalypse IS coming and he WILL be prepared. And he's a predator, who clearly groomed Blythe to be his chosen Eve. But he's fiendishly clever and he's prepared everything really well, having covered his tracks and making quite sure Blythe will never be found.
Morley incorporates some fascinating world building in Above and it's done despite a very close focus on Blythe's inner life and her point of view. Not much is explained directly, we learn most of it through the details in the background. Especially once we learn about the events above during Blythe's incarceration, previously innocuous details slot into place and complete the puzzle. I thought this was really well done and while I quickly figured out what the twist would be when Blythe came out, Morley's execution of said twist was gripping.
Above is a riveting story, though it can be slow in some places. I found myself drawn deeply into Blythe's character, the more so the older she gets. Morley focuses closely on the psychological conflict inherent to Blythe's situation and the internal struggle she engages in during the last quarter of the book where she tries to come to grips with her anger at Dobbs and the need to perhaps acknowledge that he might also have saved her life. I enjoyed this book tremendously, if that is the correct word for such a harrowing tale, but if you enjoy post-apocalyptic fiction and psychological thrillers, Above might provide you with the perfect blend of both.
This book was provided for review by the publisher.
The story in Above literally has two halves. The first half is called Below, where we join Blythe the moment she comes to inside the Silo that is to be her home for the next half of her life. It is a truly contained narrative taking place inside a silo with only Blythe, Dobbs, and Adam as active characters. The second half is called Above where we follow Blythe and Adam out of the silo and into a world changed beyond reckoning. While they don't move that far from the silo physically, they may have travelled to the moon for all that Blythe feels alienated by what she finds in the world above and in a painful way she finds she initially has as little agency interacting with the people outside as she had in her captivity with Dobbs. The contrast between the two situations is only heightened by the helplessness Blythe feels in both.
Blythe is our window on to the world as we see it in Above. Throughout the novel Morley sticks close to Blythe's point of view and due to the isolation of her captivity we necessarily spend a lot of time inside her head. We follow Blythe's development from a scared teen convinced she'll be rescued at any moment, into a young woman resigned to surviving as best she can, and finally into a mother bent on escape to save her son. I found myself going from being scared for her to being scared with her, especially in the latter half of the book and I found it hard to step out of her head space when putting the book down. Morley brings Blythe's emotions alive and to the surface without falling into melodrama. Blythe's voice is surprisingly dynamic, confined and isolated though she is.
Our other main character is Adam. Blythe's son, well-loved by her, more mentored than parented by Dobbs, he's a true innocent. Born underground, isolated from humanity, only knowing his parents until he reaches fifteen, he truly is Adam in more ways than one. He's not just Blythe's best hope for a future, but humanity's as well. While Adam is an important character, he's still always seen through Blythe's eyes. And she loves him fiercely and, she comes to discover, jealously. Unused to sharing his attention, trust, and love with anyone other than Dobbs, who both Adam and Blythe refer to as Mister, when they meet other people she has a really hard time accepting what she feels is an invasion and a threat. I love Adam's free spirit and the way we get to see the world made anew through his child-like wonder, when they finally leave the silo.
Apart from Blythe and Adam, there are really only a handful of characters that play more than a background role. The most important of these is Blythe's captor and Adam's father Dobbs. He's a disturbed and unbalanced individual, a survivalist convinced that the apocalypse IS coming and he WILL be prepared. And he's a predator, who clearly groomed Blythe to be his chosen Eve. But he's fiendishly clever and he's prepared everything really well, having covered his tracks and making quite sure Blythe will never be found.
Morley incorporates some fascinating world building in Above and it's done despite a very close focus on Blythe's inner life and her point of view. Not much is explained directly, we learn most of it through the details in the background. Especially once we learn about the events above during Blythe's incarceration, previously innocuous details slot into place and complete the puzzle. I thought this was really well done and while I quickly figured out what the twist would be when Blythe came out, Morley's execution of said twist was gripping.
Above is a riveting story, though it can be slow in some places. I found myself drawn deeply into Blythe's character, the more so the older she gets. Morley focuses closely on the psychological conflict inherent to Blythe's situation and the internal struggle she engages in during the last quarter of the book where she tries to come to grips with her anger at Dobbs and the need to perhaps acknowledge that he might also have saved her life. I enjoyed this book tremendously, if that is the correct word for such a harrowing tale, but if you enjoy post-apocalyptic fiction and psychological thrillers, Above might provide you with the perfect blend of both.
This book was provided for review by the publisher.
December 29, 2013
This was a great book. Very small spoilers ahead - I do not retell the story but it is hard to review the novel without revealing some of the basics.
"Above" is a story about a girl named Blythe who is kidnapped as a teenager by a survivalist fanatic. After capture she is held hostage deep underground in a missile silo. Blythe's captor believes that he is saving her from impending doom. Although his intentions are good, his actions are not. He is ultimately a criminal and Blythe finds it difficult to see him as any differently.
"Above" is two stories in one. The first half of the book begins with the circumstances leading up to the abduction and being imprisoned and ends with her escape. The second half of the book (which began at exactly at 50% on my kindle) focuses on what happens when Blythe finally escapes.
For the first half of the book, Blythe walks the readers through the varying emotions of what it is like to be taken - the reality of no longer seeing her family and friends, the reality of having the best years of her life robbed from her, the reality of the loss of freedom and the reality of imprisonment. This part of the book goes into great detail of what it is like to live for years in an enclosed area with limited access to basic supplies and no access to the outside world. She speaks of living in solitude, living with a man she hates, living in captivity,.....living without living.
The second half of the book is focused on the reality of what awaits Blythe at the surface. Years of dreaming of friends, family and home made the expectation grow to unrealistic levels. The reality Blythe faces when confronted with a different world is harsh and a big part of her journey. The other part is facing and accepting her past while finding forgiveness in her heart.
The PR on "Above" compares the novel to "Room" by Emma Donoghue or "The Lovely Bones" by Alice Sebold. Having read both and considering both favorites of mine, I can say there are inherent differences.
In "Room" the story narrated from the perspective of the son of a kidnapped girls starting several years after the abduction occurred. In "Above" the story was told 1st person from the main character herself starting just before the actual kidnapping. Both stories focus the first half on captivity and the 2nd half on life after captivity but the stories are very, very different. One of the main differences was the intent of the kidnappers, in Room the kidnapping was for the purposes of sexual servitude whereas in "Above" the captor to "save" the victim. Both kidnappings were planned but in "Room" the victim was at taken at random where as in "Above" the victim was chosen. There are other similarities as well but to go too deep into these would spoil the story.
The similarities of "Above" to Room were very obvious but I did not find as many similarities in "The Lovely Bones". Outside of an act of violence and the journey to acceptance the I found the stories very different and noted more similarities to the movie "A Boy and His Dog" .
I definitely recommend this book. It is a story that will stay with me for a while - one that makes you think and one that makes you thankful for what you have today and now.
Disclosure - I received an advance copy of this book for review purposes. I was not required to write a positive review and did not receive monetary compensation. All opinions expressed are my own.
"Above" is a story about a girl named Blythe who is kidnapped as a teenager by a survivalist fanatic. After capture she is held hostage deep underground in a missile silo. Blythe's captor believes that he is saving her from impending doom. Although his intentions are good, his actions are not. He is ultimately a criminal and Blythe finds it difficult to see him as any differently.
"Above" is two stories in one. The first half of the book begins with the circumstances leading up to the abduction and being imprisoned and ends with her escape. The second half of the book (which began at exactly at 50% on my kindle) focuses on what happens when Blythe finally escapes.
For the first half of the book, Blythe walks the readers through the varying emotions of what it is like to be taken - the reality of no longer seeing her family and friends, the reality of having the best years of her life robbed from her, the reality of the loss of freedom and the reality of imprisonment. This part of the book goes into great detail of what it is like to live for years in an enclosed area with limited access to basic supplies and no access to the outside world. She speaks of living in solitude, living with a man she hates, living in captivity,.....living without living.
The second half of the book is focused on the reality of what awaits Blythe at the surface. Years of dreaming of friends, family and home made the expectation grow to unrealistic levels. The reality Blythe faces when confronted with a different world is harsh and a big part of her journey. The other part is facing and accepting her past while finding forgiveness in her heart.
The PR on "Above" compares the novel to "Room" by Emma Donoghue or "The Lovely Bones" by Alice Sebold. Having read both and considering both favorites of mine, I can say there are inherent differences.
In "Room" the story narrated from the perspective of the son of a kidnapped girls starting several years after the abduction occurred. In "Above" the story was told 1st person from the main character herself starting just before the actual kidnapping. Both stories focus the first half on captivity and the 2nd half on life after captivity but the stories are very, very different. One of the main differences was the intent of the kidnappers, in Room the kidnapping was for the purposes of sexual servitude whereas in "Above" the captor to "save" the victim. Both kidnappings were planned but in "Room" the victim was at taken at random where as in "Above" the victim was chosen. There are other similarities as well but to go too deep into these would spoil the story.
The similarities of "Above" to Room were very obvious but I did not find as many similarities in "The Lovely Bones". Outside of an act of violence and the journey to acceptance the I found the stories very different and noted more similarities to the movie "A Boy and His Dog" .
I definitely recommend this book. It is a story that will stay with me for a while - one that makes you think and one that makes you thankful for what you have today and now.
Disclosure - I received an advance copy of this book for review purposes. I was not required to write a positive review and did not receive monetary compensation. All opinions expressed are my own.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 14, 2014
I don't really have a choice if I'm going to accurately review this so....
SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Isla Morley starts out with a very, very interesting premise in "Above" the haunted, haunting tale of sixteen year old Blythe who is kidnapped by Dobbs the survivalist, conspiracy theory addicted but otherwise unassuming local librarian who thinks he's saving her from the end of the world and held in an abandoned missile silo for seventeen years during which....wait for it....the end of the world actually happens.
Seventeen years is a long time and justifiably its a large chunk of Morley's book. Unfortunately its also the most interesting part. Once Blythe is free and must face that Dobbs, however crazy he was, did in fact save her life I thought the book might take an interesting turn into the psychological after effects of her imprisonment. Instead the reader is suddenly thrust into what essentially amounts to a short novella about the dystopian world left over after a nuclear war. There are mad scientists trying to "breed" people and deformed babies being born everywhere and well meaning crusty and cranky old survivors dropping sage like wisdom and offering a deux es machina helping hand just as its needed and everything works out about as well as it can for Blythe when she's reunited with some lost loved ones and even gets to go home in a manner of speaking.
I feel like Morely missed an opportunity to really get into the head of both her protagonist and perp with this book. Rather than rehashing every other post nuclear holocaust novel and introducing like twenty important new characters in the last one hundred pages I would have much preferred Blythe coming to terms with what Dobbs did to her in "saving" her.
Because even though he was right he was still insane. He bears all the usual hallmarks of the stalker lunatic; he love's Blythe and knows she'll love him in time, he's an obsessive, isolated, delusional wacko who's basically accidentally correct about the end of the world.
What Dobbs does in taking Blythe is almost worse than the "Room" type stories out there. He takes her away from the world and then the world ends and he doesn't even tell her. He takes away her choice to die with her family and those she loves or struggle to survive on her own terms. In his misguided and obsessive need to keep her safe he robs her of her free will and costs her everything she's ever cared about. Instead of having to reaclimate to the world that moved on without her Blythe is forced to blindly stagger through a blighted landscape that barely resembles the world she was taken from with no warning about what she's going to encounter.
That level of anger, hopelessness and finally acceptance would have been something to read about. Instead I got babies with giant heads and four eyes and an ending straight out of the Hallmark Hall of Fame.
SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Isla Morley starts out with a very, very interesting premise in "Above" the haunted, haunting tale of sixteen year old Blythe who is kidnapped by Dobbs the survivalist, conspiracy theory addicted but otherwise unassuming local librarian who thinks he's saving her from the end of the world and held in an abandoned missile silo for seventeen years during which....wait for it....the end of the world actually happens.
Seventeen years is a long time and justifiably its a large chunk of Morley's book. Unfortunately its also the most interesting part. Once Blythe is free and must face that Dobbs, however crazy he was, did in fact save her life I thought the book might take an interesting turn into the psychological after effects of her imprisonment. Instead the reader is suddenly thrust into what essentially amounts to a short novella about the dystopian world left over after a nuclear war. There are mad scientists trying to "breed" people and deformed babies being born everywhere and well meaning crusty and cranky old survivors dropping sage like wisdom and offering a deux es machina helping hand just as its needed and everything works out about as well as it can for Blythe when she's reunited with some lost loved ones and even gets to go home in a manner of speaking.
I feel like Morely missed an opportunity to really get into the head of both her protagonist and perp with this book. Rather than rehashing every other post nuclear holocaust novel and introducing like twenty important new characters in the last one hundred pages I would have much preferred Blythe coming to terms with what Dobbs did to her in "saving" her.
Because even though he was right he was still insane. He bears all the usual hallmarks of the stalker lunatic; he love's Blythe and knows she'll love him in time, he's an obsessive, isolated, delusional wacko who's basically accidentally correct about the end of the world.
What Dobbs does in taking Blythe is almost worse than the "Room" type stories out there. He takes her away from the world and then the world ends and he doesn't even tell her. He takes away her choice to die with her family and those she loves or struggle to survive on her own terms. In his misguided and obsessive need to keep her safe he robs her of her free will and costs her everything she's ever cared about. Instead of having to reaclimate to the world that moved on without her Blythe is forced to blindly stagger through a blighted landscape that barely resembles the world she was taken from with no warning about what she's going to encounter.
That level of anger, hopelessness and finally acceptance would have been something to read about. Instead I got babies with giant heads and four eyes and an ending straight out of the Hallmark Hall of Fame.
May 15, 2014
"Sometimes, I think putting up with Dobbs and playing by his rules is being strong, but sometimes, like now, I wonder if I didn't misplace my backbone somewhere."
Blythe is 16 yrs old when a trusted adult who worked at her high school's library delivers her some distressing news. Told that her brother was in a car accident, she jumps into his car, believing he (Dobbs) will be whisking her away to the local hospital. Unfortunately, Blythe was tricked, and she soon finds herself underground in complete darkness, where she will spend the next 17 years with her deranged conspiracy theorist captor..
"We are the Remnant, Blythe. After the end, you and I will rise up together. You and me -we will one day seed the new world."
Fear, crushing loneliness, and mental illness consumes Blythe. When she becomes pregnant due to a rape, Dobbs is convinced that Blythe has "ruined everything", as her pregnancy wasn't a part of his master plan. Sadly, the baby dies moments after child birth.
With the death of her baby, Blythe has never felt so cut off from love.
In a sick and twisted attempt to comfort her, Dobbs kidnaps a child and brings him down for Blythe to "mother".
"What miracle is this before me? What magic have I conjured? What awful terror?"
The boy isn't well, and neither is Blythe. She considers killing him to end his suffering. Moments before she does, Dobbs whisks him away and he is never seen again...
Three years later, Adam is born. The child is brought up underground, and taught "end of the world training". He grows up to hate and question his father's teachings. He desperately wants to go above.
When Adam discovers the kidnapped boy's remains from so long ago, he questions his parents. A terrible fight ensues between father and son, and Blythe and Adam are finally able to escape. They are able to go ABOVE.
But what Blythe wasn't expecting, is an entirely different world above. A lot has changed since she has been trapped underground, and Blythe discovers you can never truly 'go home again'.
I really enjoyed Above, by Isla Morley and was happy to participate in the book tour to promote this excellent book. If you like books written in a similar style to The Lovely Books, you will enjoy this story!
Part II (Above) really surprised me. I didn't at all see the second half of the story coming. I believed that the story would end when Blythe became free. Really, that is when the story began!
I am giving Above, by Isla Morley 5 very well deserved stars! Please check this book out! You will be glad you did!
***I received an E-Copy of this book in exchange for a fair & honest review.
Blythe is 16 yrs old when a trusted adult who worked at her high school's library delivers her some distressing news. Told that her brother was in a car accident, she jumps into his car, believing he (Dobbs) will be whisking her away to the local hospital. Unfortunately, Blythe was tricked, and she soon finds herself underground in complete darkness, where she will spend the next 17 years with her deranged conspiracy theorist captor..
"We are the Remnant, Blythe. After the end, you and I will rise up together. You and me -we will one day seed the new world."
Fear, crushing loneliness, and mental illness consumes Blythe. When she becomes pregnant due to a rape, Dobbs is convinced that Blythe has "ruined everything", as her pregnancy wasn't a part of his master plan. Sadly, the baby dies moments after child birth.
With the death of her baby, Blythe has never felt so cut off from love.
In a sick and twisted attempt to comfort her, Dobbs kidnaps a child and brings him down for Blythe to "mother".
"What miracle is this before me? What magic have I conjured? What awful terror?"
The boy isn't well, and neither is Blythe. She considers killing him to end his suffering. Moments before she does, Dobbs whisks him away and he is never seen again...
Three years later, Adam is born. The child is brought up underground, and taught "end of the world training". He grows up to hate and question his father's teachings. He desperately wants to go above.
When Adam discovers the kidnapped boy's remains from so long ago, he questions his parents. A terrible fight ensues between father and son, and Blythe and Adam are finally able to escape. They are able to go ABOVE.
But what Blythe wasn't expecting, is an entirely different world above. A lot has changed since she has been trapped underground, and Blythe discovers you can never truly 'go home again'.
I really enjoyed Above, by Isla Morley and was happy to participate in the book tour to promote this excellent book. If you like books written in a similar style to The Lovely Books, you will enjoy this story!
Part II (Above) really surprised me. I didn't at all see the second half of the story coming. I believed that the story would end when Blythe became free. Really, that is when the story began!
I am giving Above, by Isla Morley 5 very well deserved stars! Please check this book out! You will be glad you did!
***I received an E-Copy of this book in exchange for a fair & honest review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 13, 2014
Lazy summer days, picnics in the park, squabbling among siblings, a racing heart caused by a promising young man... these are the types of things that are supposed to punctuate the young life of Blythe Hallowell. A 16-year old girl in Eudora, Kansas has her whole life ahead of her. That is until Dobbs Hordin, school librarian, tricks her into getting into his car. This decision will change the course of her life irreparably.
Dobbs squirrels Blythe away deep, deep into the earth contained securely in an abandoned missile silo. Outfitted with living quarters, rations, and sturdy locks on all the doors, Blythe finds herself in a living hell she desperately wishes to escape. Dobbs, coming and going as he pleases, talks incessantly about an apocalypse happening above, a world unrecognizable. Blythe, acutely aware of Dobbs' tenuous grip on reality, finds she can do nothing but play along until freedom presents itself. In the meantime, she gives birth twice, plays Mom for a short time to a child Dobbs abducts from "Above", and plays along to Dobbs' fantasy as his wife. She bides her time expertly, never forgetting her family and her life above, but making the best with the worst situation.
Approximately halfway through the book, the story's momentum is turned on its ear. We are thrust from abduction thriller to post-apocalyptic dystopian. The world as Blythe left it no longer exists. She must forge through this brand new world, though not alone, and figure out how she will survive.
Above had me from start to finish. I devoured this novel. The abduction and her life following was harrowing, suffocating, and heartbreaking. Moments of pure joy were marred by an undercurrent of constant terror, and I found myself needing to remember to breathe. The post-apocalyptic dystopian part caught me absolutely by surprise, and I found myself see-sawing between despair, hope, gratefulness, and trepidation for the future.
One really strange bit that kept pulling me out of the story: The way Ms. Morley writes the "before" portion of the book makes me feel like Blythe was a 16-year old in the 50s or 60s. I couldn't shake it, and then when she wrote about someone in her teenage years talking on a cell phone, it shattered my illusion for a bit. There's a bit of old-fashioned infused in the text.
Overall, I really enjoyed the pace of this book. I love the incredible spectrum of emotions I felt while reading. Some of the scenes after Blythe resurfaces were clunky, and one in particular I think was completely unnecessary (Blade taking them to the place with the bones), but I enjoyed this story nonetheless.
Thanks go to NetGalley & Gallery/Simon&Schuster for the ARC e-galley.
Dobbs squirrels Blythe away deep, deep into the earth contained securely in an abandoned missile silo. Outfitted with living quarters, rations, and sturdy locks on all the doors, Blythe finds herself in a living hell she desperately wishes to escape. Dobbs, coming and going as he pleases, talks incessantly about an apocalypse happening above, a world unrecognizable. Blythe, acutely aware of Dobbs' tenuous grip on reality, finds she can do nothing but play along until freedom presents itself. In the meantime, she gives birth twice, plays Mom for a short time to a child Dobbs abducts from "Above", and plays along to Dobbs' fantasy as his wife. She bides her time expertly, never forgetting her family and her life above, but making the best with the worst situation.
Approximately halfway through the book, the story's momentum is turned on its ear. We are thrust from abduction thriller to post-apocalyptic dystopian. The world as Blythe left it no longer exists. She must forge through this brand new world, though not alone, and figure out how she will survive.
Above had me from start to finish. I devoured this novel. The abduction and her life following was harrowing, suffocating, and heartbreaking. Moments of pure joy were marred by an undercurrent of constant terror, and I found myself needing to remember to breathe. The post-apocalyptic dystopian part caught me absolutely by surprise, and I found myself see-sawing between despair, hope, gratefulness, and trepidation for the future.
One really strange bit that kept pulling me out of the story: The way Ms. Morley writes the "before" portion of the book makes me feel like Blythe was a 16-year old in the 50s or 60s. I couldn't shake it, and then when she wrote about someone in her teenage years talking on a cell phone, it shattered my illusion for a bit. There's a bit of old-fashioned infused in the text.
Overall, I really enjoyed the pace of this book. I love the incredible spectrum of emotions I felt while reading. Some of the scenes after Blythe resurfaces were clunky, and one in particular I think was completely unnecessary (Blade taking them to the place with the bones), but I enjoyed this story nonetheless.
Thanks go to NetGalley & Gallery/Simon&Schuster for the ARC e-galley.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 19, 2016
Ahh, so much potential here and yet I was not nearly as enthralled as I wanted to be. The book is divided into two halves: Below and Above. The first half describes Blythe's kidnapping and captivity. Blythe is held captive for SEVENTEEN years. Seriously, that's just crazy. She went through a lot during that time, including the stillbirth of one child and the birth of another one. She raises her son (Adam) in this environment with her jailor. I wanted to feel more during this section, but I just didn't. The beginning was great and I just kept waiting for someone to find her. At some point though, Blythe started experiencing a little Stockholm syndrome and she also tried to raise Adam as normally as possible, which basically meant ignoring the outside world. There was just so much that was boring. Not a lot was happening, except for years passing and Dobbs (her kidnapper) getting crazier and crazier.
The second half of the book Above, was much more suspenseful. Blythe just wanted everything to be the same as when she was taken, but things were SO DIFFERENT. The world building was very spooky here and it seemed well thought out. There were a few things about the world that were a little out there, but all in all, the author did a great job with it. The second half of the book was very surprising in terms of what the world was like.
One thing I didn't like was that the ending was too wrapped up and too neat. After so much hope and expectation and tragedy, I just expected more. This book was okay, but I just wanted more from it.
The second half of the book Above, was much more suspenseful. Blythe just wanted everything to be the same as when she was taken, but things were SO DIFFERENT. The world building was very spooky here and it seemed well thought out. There were a few things about the world that were a little out there, but all in all, the author did a great job with it. The second half of the book was very surprising in terms of what the world was like.
One thing I didn't like was that the ending was too wrapped up and too neat. After so much hope and expectation and tragedy, I just expected more. This book was okay, but I just wanted more from it.
December 10, 2014
**3.5 stars**
The good news: I read it in pretty much one sitting today so it is very gripping.
The bad news: Thought the end was a let down,also this is as well, a book of two halves and I found the second half a bit disappointing although I can see what the author was trying to do.
The kidnap plot/sub theme was far superior to my mind - done extraordinarily well, a young girl kept underground for years by a survivalist, her day to day life, her initial determination to escape and how she is worn down, psychologically speaking this was intelligently drawn and absolutely compelling.
I can't tell you what happens in the second half because that would spoil it, but once that portion got going, although I was eager to keep reading and find out what was going to happen, it was clear fairly shortly that I was not going to be quite so engaged. It is difficult to say why - perhaps because of the way the first part of Blythes story was told, I was expecting something different to what I ended up with and maybe wanted more for her.
Overall though, very well written and it will be entirely subjective as to whether or not you go "Wow" as things progress or, like me, feel that the second half lacked the emotion and drama of the first.
Happy Reading Folks!
The good news: I read it in pretty much one sitting today so it is very gripping.
The bad news: Thought the end was a let down,also this is as well, a book of two halves and I found the second half a bit disappointing although I can see what the author was trying to do.
The kidnap plot/sub theme was far superior to my mind - done extraordinarily well, a young girl kept underground for years by a survivalist, her day to day life, her initial determination to escape and how she is worn down, psychologically speaking this was intelligently drawn and absolutely compelling.
I can't tell you what happens in the second half because that would spoil it, but once that portion got going, although I was eager to keep reading and find out what was going to happen, it was clear fairly shortly that I was not going to be quite so engaged. It is difficult to say why - perhaps because of the way the first part of Blythes story was told, I was expecting something different to what I ended up with and maybe wanted more for her.
Overall though, very well written and it will be entirely subjective as to whether or not you go "Wow" as things progress or, like me, feel that the second half lacked the emotion and drama of the first.
Happy Reading Folks!
March 28, 2014
People have compared this book to Emma Donoghue's "Room". Yes there is a teen that has been abducted and held captive. Also have seen it compared to Alice Sebold’s “The Lovely Bones”, but the only resemblance there is the teen abducted has been held underground.
Above is the combination of two incredible themes: abduction and my favorite theme, the apocalypse.
I realized the book was about abduction, as it was mentioned in the blurb. But the apocalypse…I never saw that coming, and I LOVED IT!
Kudos to Ms. Morely for taking a bold step from the usual predictable plot and making it exceptional, I was floored.
The character descriptions were spot on; I had no trouble visualizing each and every one of them. Reading this book was like being a fly on the wall. At times I wanted to jump off that wall and help Blythe.
In addition, her world development… I was right there! There was no question of what the world, both Above and Below were like.
I loved this book and look forward to getting the physical copy.
ARC provided by Gallery Books thru Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Above is the combination of two incredible themes: abduction and my favorite theme, the apocalypse.
I realized the book was about abduction, as it was mentioned in the blurb. But the apocalypse…I never saw that coming, and I LOVED IT!
Kudos to Ms. Morely for taking a bold step from the usual predictable plot and making it exceptional, I was floored.
The character descriptions were spot on; I had no trouble visualizing each and every one of them. Reading this book was like being a fly on the wall. At times I wanted to jump off that wall and help Blythe.
In addition, her world development… I was right there! There was no question of what the world, both Above and Below were like.
I loved this book and look forward to getting the physical copy.
ARC provided by Gallery Books thru Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 30, 2014
I found this book to be compulsively readable. It's like two stories in one book. The first story is somewhat like Room in that it's about a teenage girl who is kidnapped and eventually has a child while still in captivity. Here though, Blythe is abducted by a survivalist who plans for the two of them to "reseed" the earth after the apocalypse he thinks is imminent (and for which he seems to be pretty well prepared). I felt like 'Room' was better in terms of telling the story of a girl in captivity and her efforts to raise a child in such circumstances. However, 'Above' continues to follow their story once they escape and this is the second story it tells. Both parts of this book are absolutely gripping and raise themes that make you think long after you've put the book down. In fact, this would make a great choice for a book club to read and discuss.
Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me a copy of this book!
Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me a copy of this book!
February 27, 2014
I received a copy of this book via Netgalley for an honest review.
The story starts with Blythe, a teenager, being kidnapped by a survivalist librarian and stuffed in an underground missile silo. She is never found and lives with this crazy man who eventually joins her in living in the silo. She is raped, repeatedly and eventually bears a son who is raised in the silo.
I enjoyed the first part of this story, but it rapidly went from enjoyable to tedious. The formatting wasn't great (it was an E-ARC, so I didn't use that in my rating), and add to that the writing was disjointed.
Then came the plot twist... I nearly tossed the book to the DNF pile at that point, but kept going. It was as if the author lost all control of the story and that came across in the writing.
I do not recommend.
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