Some monsters are human. “Babydoll” by Hollie Overton will remind readers of that on every single page. Children fear the monsters under the bed, then adults teach them to fear strangers in dark alleys, so what happens when the big bad wolf is has a white picket fence and a teaching degree?
Lily Riser was a normal 16-year-old. Her biggest concerns are school, her parents, her boyfriend, and her twin sister Abby. That is until one day when accepting a ride home from someone knows and trusts turned into an 8-year nightmare.
The author grabs the reader’s attention right away by starting with Lily and her 6-year-old daughter Skye escaping their captor. Most writers would use this point as the happily, ever, after, part of the story. As Lily will learn getting away is just the beginning. When the protagonist returns home she must learn to accept that after 8 years away her family is not as it was before and neither is she.
Much of “Babydoll” is focused on the physical and emotional scars Lily and Skye acquired being held captive. Skye has never been outside of the basement a day in her life and Lily after having so many choices taken away is desperate to take her life back. She attempts to do this in seemingly small ways like changing her appearance and in larger ways like trying to ensure that the man who stole so much of her life is punished.
“Babydoll” will have readers questioning every seemingly harmless teacher, neighbor, and coach they've ever known. Ms. Overton manages to walk the very fine line of showing the consequences rape and abuse without fetishizing those experiences.
Ms. Overton keeps the reader guessing. This fast paced thriller shows off her television background, the writer having lent her words to dramas like “Cold Case”, “Shadowhunters”, and “The Client List” grab your attention, Although, it is perhaps for this reason there are moments in the book that border on soap opera territory and while she addresses controversial issues, there was a touch wishy washiness probably born out of fear of alienating more conservative readers.
It’s said that goes art imitates life, a part of what makes this novel so chilling is the knowledge that in a world of Ariel Castro Kidnappings and the Jaycee Dugard case men like Lily’s captor are all too real. “Babydoll” doesn't just imitate horror stories from the news, the author herself is an identical twin who grew up with an abusive and sometimes incarcerated father had her own experiences to draw from.
Hollie Overton shows the potential to join the likes of authors such as Jodi Picoult and Danielle Steele in the literary world, for now prepare to be disturbed and give “Babydoll” a try. Ms. Overton’s debut shifts seamlessly from the perspective of Lily, her twin sister Abby, her mother, and the man who held her captive. The story will have readers on an emotional roller coaster from start to finish that will have them rooting for Lily in her quest to heal and create a future. The novel’s ending is jarring, but leaves readers with the reminder that even when the worst happens life goes on.
