Review of The Other Boy

[Chinazo Anozie]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Other Boy" by Amelia Legend.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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The Other Boy by Amelia Legend is a story about young Dillon and many other children who have been kidnapped and trafficked. The setting is Canada. Dillon was just eight years old when he was kidnapped by a seemingly harmless motorist and subjected to horrors a child should never have to experience. Miraculously, after seven years, Dillon is found stumbling along a road—barefoot, lost, and injured—by a good Samaritan. His widowed mother, Leslie, is overjoyed to have her son home—until she notices that the Dillon that was kidnapped seven years ago and the one who has returned to her may not be the same person.

This thriller captivated and intrigued me just from its dark and gritty cover, which showed a lot of promise. I couldn’t wait to delve into it because thrillers are one of my favourite genres. However, I quickly realised that this book was not just your average thriller; it had very dark themes that made me feel like I may have bitten off more than I could chew when I selected it to read. More than once, I had to take breaks from reading to give myself time to recover from the story. This doesn’t mean that it wasn’t a good read. In fact, it’s a testament to the author’s superb writing. I loved that she used this book to create an awareness of the existence and horrors of kidnapping and child trafficking in Canada and the rest of the world. Each chapter begins with a real-life statistic on kidnapping and human trafficking.

The story is told from Dillon, Leslie, and Inspector Rousseau’s points of view. Rousseau was the officer in charge of Dillon’s case. Based on his personal loss, he’d made it his life’s mission to find the trafficking ring that had been running for years in British Columbia. The different points of view made the storytelling even more well told. I loved that I couldn’t tell how this book would end or fathom Dillon’s secret until the very end of the book; it kept me guessing and making the wildest assumptions. Every character was well rounded, even the villains.

The only issue (albeit very minor) that I noticed was the high number of em dashes the author used, especially at the beginning of the book. Although initially a bit distracting, I quickly forgot about them once I got engrossed in the story. This book was also perfectly edited, as I didn’t notice any errors. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. As a result, I rate it 5 out of 5 stars.

Fans of thrillers will enjoy this book. However, I must warn that this book is not for the faint-hearted. It contains very heavy and dark themes, such as trafficking and child abuse, that may disturb some readers.

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The Other Boy
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[Hazel Mae Bagarinao]

I feel that Dillon changed a lot due to the bad experiences he faced. Could Leslie adjust her son who turned out to be a different person? Your review is intriguing and captivating, however, this genre is not my cup of tea.

[Amy Luman]

I’m sure that Dillon was not the same boy that he was before. He had to endure things that most of us can’t even imagine. The differing points of view, I’m sure, make for an interesting story.