Those Girls - Chevy Stevens

Chevy Stevens returns with her fourth novel, Those Girls.

Three sisters go on the run to escape their abusive father. Their truck breaks down in a small town. And two young men offer to help them get it fixed and they know a ranch where they can pick up day work for cash. Huh huh - you got it - trouble ahead signs should be flashing neon.

There's just no nice way to couch this - the girls are held captive and raped repeatedly. Then they escape and reinvent themselves. And eighteen years later one of them goes back!? And guess what happens....

I was disappointed with this latest from Stevens. I found it to be overly graphic, sensationalized and it seemed to borrow heavily from recent headlines in Canada, capitalizing on violent crimes against women.

Though the characters go through horrific events, I never connected with them - I found then flat and one dimensional. There's no doubt about the 'bad' guys - they're also one dimensional and hackneyed.

The saving grace of this book is the love between the sisters and their desire to stick together. But honestly, they make some really asinine and frankly unbelievable decisions.

Did I finish it? Yes, I was strangely compelled to see it through to the end - I was still flabbergasted that part two of this book was a repeat of part one - with another generation reliving the same story.

A miss for me. If you're so inclined, here's an excerpt of Those Girls.