WOW. I thought I couldn't feel any sadder, after finishing The Hopefuls. I thought I primed myself for anger and heartbreak by listening to true crime podcasts. Well, my hard heart was still hurting reading this book.

I didn't know anything about this book, except the author is coming to speak at Powell's next week, so I thought I'd try previewing the book. I read about 50 pages in a sample and had to have it.

The story begins with Sally (who's a little bit unpopular, but a sweet, good 11 year old) lured into shoplifting by the cool girls at school. An FBI agent catches her and tells her she will need to appear in front of a judge. The FBI agent is "from the other side of the law". Sally's mom okays Sally leaving to Atlantic City because the FBI agent poses as a friend's father. Imagine her horror, weeks later, after regular postcards from Sally, the friend comes to the door asking for Sally. If she's Vivi, then Vivi isn't at the shore with her father. If Vivi's father isn't at the shore, someone is, and he has Sally. He's a serial child kidnapper and rapist.

She spends a long time with him, and encounters several people who think something isn't quite right but the police aren't involved from her end until the climax of the book. Her mom, sister and brother-in-law try to keep the hope alive but the police always seem to be a step behind.

For me, the most heartbreaking scenes were Ruth leaving town, after trying to say goodbye and seeing the red ribbon hanging out the window of the bedroom, a sign Sally could give to Ruth if she was in trouble, and Ruth would help her, no matter what. The other scene that cut me (aside from the ending!) was the pitiful dog, Tex, being left behind, chasing after the California-bound truck in Dallas, abandoned. Sally, watching from the truck and remembering the mean boys who lit the turtle on fire, but hoping for a kind person to take in her little puppy.

What an ending though. My whole heart hurts.