Hannah is an ordinary teenager growing up in Moldova until her parents are killed in a terrorist bombing. While she’s still mourning the loss, she gets an offer that sounds too good to be true: a job as a nanny for a Russian family in Los Angeles.
At first, it seems like her luck has finally turned around, but life with the Platonovs quickly spirals into a nightmare. Lillian, the mother, forces Hannah to work sixteen-hour days cleaning, and won’t let her leave the house. Sergey, the father, is full of secrets. And they refuse to pay Hannah.
Stranded in a foreign land with false documents, no money, and nobody who can help her, Hannah has become a modern-day slave. And the more Hannah unravels this family’s terrible secrets, the more her life—and her family back home—are in grave danger. Desperate and lonely, she reaches out to the boy next door. But in the end, the only one who can save Hannah is herself.
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Grr. I hate this position. I always promised I would be very honest in reviews, and how could I possibly say anything bad about a book that tackles a tough topic? The only thing worse would be if this was a memoir.
Okay, the good: it sheds a light on an important topic and would be a good jumping off point for anyone interested in the subject who was looking for an after school special version of human trafficking.
Seriously, you will hate me for saying this, but what Hannah experiences just isn't that bad. The truth? There are kids being treated way worse than this on any given day in their own families in houses in America. Maybe it is because I have read other, darker books on the subject (like Sold- which will rip your heart out and hand it back to you in pieces) or maybe because there is more mistreatment in a VC Andrews novel, I don't know. I didn't buy into this story at all.
First, Hannah is a little old for kidnapping. And very naive. She didn't really have to leave her homeland. Then she gets here and it is just so easy that the father knows Hannah's family and has answers to secret questions. Hmm.
Hannah could have walked out the door at any point, and chose not to, even after she realized she'd been duped about there being a real job. What's really going on is Hannah has become an indentured servant, not a sex slave as the cover copy implies.
I just think there are better books about this topic. The writing is fine, it just didn't really dare to put a lens to the situation these kids really suffer through.
I was also really put off by the ending. As if an immigration officer is going to let an illegal just stay in this country and go to college. Psh. Please. Did the author not watch The Visitor?
This one was just not for me.
Also, one more thing, for the publisher: whenever I read something like this I EXPECT a list of resources in the back. There is not even a list of websites to learn more about Human Trafficking or an 800 number to call for more info or help. Seriously, way to drop the ball, Viking.
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