Monday 15 October 2012

Books Read: Emily Barr - Stranded

If no one knows you're missing, how can you be found?

Bruised from the breakdown of her marriage, Esther Lomax needs to get away, and Malaysia's unspoilt shores seem the perfect place. But a day's boat trip takes a desperate turn when Esther and six other holidaymakers are taken to a desert island and their guide does not return. The group have no way of getting back to the mainland and know nothing about each other. As the days pass, tensions erupt, secrets emerge and time increasingly runs out, Esther must ask herself the ultimate question: will she leave the island alive?     


After her divorce from husband Chris, Esther decides to go on her first solo holiday abroad to prove to herself and others, especially Chris, that she can make it on her own.  Whilst staying on the beautiful Perhentian Islands she agrees to go on a trip to a remote island as a trial run for Samad, one of the resort staff, who's wanting to set up his own boat trips.

Shortly after arriving at the island Samad discovers that he's forgotten a lighter, meaning he is unable to light a fire for the lunch he'd provided, so he sets off to return to the main island to get one but he never makes it back.

Esther is left stranded on this remote island with just a group of strangers for company; Jean and Gene, an older Australian couple, Mark and Cherry, an American honeymoon couple, Ed from Scotland and Katy, a woman of a similar age to herself.
 
As the minutes turns into hours which turns into days they try to adapt to their circumstances and make a camp for themselves, trying to find shelter to sleep and to shield them from the burning sun and look for food and water to keep their strength up for when they are rescued.

It's soon apparent that certain people are not quite who they at first seemed and soon distrust and doubt begins to creep in causing splits amongst the group, will they be rescued before it's too late to save relationships? 

You might think that the story actually finishes once they are rescued but that's not the case at all but I'm not going to spoil it for you so you'll have to read the book for yourself to find out exactly what happened on the island and once they return home.  I have to confess that I found the ending to be a little rushed, and if I'm honest a little far-fetched, so this actually spoilt it for me as I'd enjoyed the book until then. 

I'd like to thank Headline for sending me a proof copy of Stranded to review.

2 comments:

  1. You have me intrigued now as to what happens! I actually got this out from the library at the weekend, I will have to start it next. Thanks for the review.

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    1. Let's just say it wasn't what I was expecting which I guess is a good thing. Don't get me wrong it was a good book but I just thought the ending was a little odd...

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