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#7974 of 8,085 books · #2532 in Crime & Thriller

Longlisted for the Giller Prize (2007).

Rachel is a nine-year-old girl whose luminous beauty inspires every form of admiration. One summer night, when a summer blackout plunges the city into darkness and confusion, her most fervent admirer--a middle-aged appliance repairman named Ron--abducts her from her home. Set over the next two weeks, Helpless moves between the perspectives of Rachel, her mother, Celia, and Ron, whose feelings for Rachel grow less innocent by the day. Tapping into the fear that resides just below the surface of contemporary city life, Helpless explores every parent's nightmare.

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Publisher
Holt & Company, Henry
ISBN-13
9781429921572
Topics
Child abductionObsessionParental fear

Awards

Other awarded books from Barbara Gowdy