• Age: 13 to 18
• Reading age: 13 to 18

Seventeen-year-old Chloe’s summer vacation in Greece comes to an abrupt end when she is suddenly bound, gagged and whisked away to an unidentified location. Waking up from a drug-induced sleep, she finds herself in a squalid warehouse. Chloe can only imagine the worst. After several days of total isolation and utter despair, Chloe faces a new threat when her kidnapper appears, but she also feels a sense of relief. His revelation that she is being held as ransom for a prisoner exchange, however, does little to allay her fears.

The weeks pass and, haunted by terrifying dreams and with only her thoughts to keep her company, Chloe fights to remain calm in an impossible situation. At least her kidnapper, although cold and distant, visits frequently, often bringing gifts. Before long, Chloe begins to have feelings for him that take her by surprise. Though still fearing for her safety, she now fantasizes about a life together. And is it her imagination, or does her captor share those feelings? Even when she is finally released, Chloe vows to protect her captor at any cost.

This powerful psychological thriller, written by renowned novelist Edeet Ravel, leaves readers wondering at every suspenseful turn: Is Chloe experiencing Stockholm syndrome?

Edeet was born on a kibbutz and lived in Israel until the age of seven. She has a PhD in Jewish studies from McGill and graduate degrees in literature and creative writing. She has taught at McGill, Concordia and John Abbott College. In addition to her award-winning novels for adults, Edeet has written Held, a YA thriller that was nominated for the CLA Young Adult Book of the Year, the Saskatchewan Willow Award, the Pennsylvania School Librarians Association Top Forty and the Arthur Ellis Best Juvenile Crime Award. Her YA novel The Saver has been adapted for film by Wiebke von Carolsfeld; the film has garnered prizes around the globe. Edeet lives in Guelph, Ontario, and gets her best ideas at the Y swimming pool. Her name is pronounced ee-DEET.

Edeet Ravel's profile page

Held

Seventeen-year-old Chloe, along with her friend Angie, are volunteering in Greece for the summer when Chloe is kidnapped, blindfolded and whisked away to an unidentified location. When she wakes up from a drug-induced sleep, she is seized by terror and imagines the worst. Eventually, her hostagetaker appears and reveals that she is being held ransom for a prisoner exchange. As the days turn to weeks, Chloe’s feelings towards her captor begin to change. And while she still wonders if he will ever let her go, the bigger question is whether she wants him to.

In her latest book for teens, author Edeet Ravel has created a dark and disturbing psychological thriller that will both terrify and intrigue its readers. The story is told as the first-person report by Chloe, as she struggles to get down on paper the “unoffical” version of what took place over the time she was missing. The police have ordered her to write an account of everything that happened, but readers quickly learn that in a misguided attempt to protect her captor (with whom she believes she is in love), the unedited version of the story is for her eyes only.

Through Chloe’s text, readers witness the evolution of her feelings for her unnamed captor as they shift from fear and anger to love and dependency. Interspersed with Chloe’s report are postings from friends and family on a Facebook-type social media site, as well as newspaper clippings and interviews, which jar readers back to reality and out of the romantic fantasy that Chloe has created.

While some aspects of the story are difficult to believe (such as her captor cooking her gourmet meals), the author has created an effective study of Stockholm Syndrome (in which hostages feel affection or trust for their abductors) that will generate much discussion. Highly recommended.

Held

Seventeen-year-old Chloe’s trip to Greece turns into a nightmare when she is kidnapped and taken to an unidentified location. When she finally meets her abductor, she is relieved when he tells her she is being held ransom for a prisoner exchange. Instead of fearing her captor, Chloe finds herself falling in love with him.