My thanks to Kirsty at Atlantic Books for my review copy

Last year I read Sanjida Kay’s debut novel, Bone By Bone, and it messed with my head. Bone By Bone tells an intense story which focusses heavily on bullying and the impact that it can have. Despite all the terrible things I read about in the many dozens of crime thrillers I read each year, I find it hardest to read about bullies. Sanjida Kay did an amazing job of crafting a story around bullying which drew me in and kept me reading – I had to see how the story would be resolved.

Spin forward to yesterday morning and I don’t mind admitting that I was more than a little wary of picking up Sanjida Kay’s new novel: The Stolen Child.  Yup that DID say “yesterday morning”  I poured through The Stolen Child in superfast time as Sanjida has written another nail-biting emotional rollercoaster of a novel.

Zoe and Ollie adopted Evie 7 years ago. The story actually opens when Evie’s mother goes into labour – early. A tricky birth and a spell in intensive care for a baby, could this have had some impact upon Evie’s behaviour as when we meet her (aged 7) she appears a flighty, distracted girl?  Zoe is struggling to cope with the demands of young children, managing a home, trying to find time to work on her painting and she has, in Ollie, a husband who appears more focussed on work than his family. It is not an uncommon situation but Sanjida Kay brings the reader into the family home and exposes all their insecurities and weak moments.

As is indicated in the book description, Evie is receiving notes which appear to come from her father. Zoe finds the notes and the family face the challenge of explaining to a headstrong child that she was adopted. Evie’s reaction is initially one of acceptance, however, when her temper is raised she starts to lash out at Zoe and indicates that she want’s her “real” family.  Once again Sanjida Kay has a story which unsettles and I can honestly say that during the course of the book I was empathising with almost all of the characters at some point (and wanting to give them a stern talking to at others).

There are loads of discussion points which could arise from The Stolen Child and after this review I have some possible topics for consideration – this book is a dream for reading groups.

The Stolen Child is published by Corvus, is available now in paperback and digital format and you can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stolen-Child-Sanjida-Kay/dp/1782396918/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1491607094&sr=1-1&keywords=sanjida+kay

Book Club Questions:

• What do you think about the attraction between Zoe and Harris?
• Who do you think is the best person for Zoe to be with – Ollie or Harris?
• How does Ollie and Zoe’s marriage and their relationship change as the
  novel progresses?
• Zoe says she feels almost like a single mum at times. Do you think this
  is true for many modern-day families?
• Zoe is trying to be an artist. How hard to you think it is for her, and
  women like her, to juggle creativity and motherhood?
• The novel is set in Ilkley, with some of the key scenes taking place on
  Ilkley Moor. Do you think such a large expanse of wilderness can be
  strange and frightening?
• What do you think of the relationship between Jack and Evie?
  How do you feel Zoe and Ollie handled Evie’s adoption? Do you think
  she’s simply a ‘quirky child’ as Ollie does, or has she been damaged by
  her biological mother?
• Zoe initially thinks that Harris is not from Ilkley. Later she and the police
  make some key assumptions about him based on what they believe
  about his religion and ethnicity. What role does race play in this novel?
  The title of the novel comes from a poem by WB Yeats, also called, The
  Stolen Child. How much of an influence do you think fairy tales, like the
  one described in Yeat’s poem, play in the novel?
• Sanjida Kay has said that one of her favourite books is Emily Brontë’s
  Wuthering Heights. Can you see the novel’s influence on The Stolen
  Child?
• Were you surprised by the ending?