2-3-4 Challenge Book Discussions #1 discussion

Daphne reveals that she knew the identity of her abductor, Kelly's murderer. Did you understand the decision of the 8-year old? What about her decisions as an adult?

I just amazed me how Karen Rose wove this whole plot together, just amazing. That 8-year old Daphne wouldn't give up the identity of the abductor wasn't surprising. This person was, nominally, family and he had killed her cousin and threatened her every chance he got.

As a 15 year old she decided to contact the FBI and was told he was dead. Case closed. Since she had a lot on her plate at the time, that was the end of it.

As an adult she is devastated that he continued to kill and that she was lied to and mislead.

I think as an adult she would have had no reason to believe that he was still alive. As a child, the fear factor would have been so intense that she wasn't mature enough to know how to deal with it and what she should do.

At first it I was stunned but when she explained that her abductor was part of the family I completely understood how truly terrorized she was and thought it was completely believable. The fact that even at 15 she contacted the FBI was a lot and being told he was dead it made sense she never really talked about it again.

Daphne at eight was a traumatized young girl who used her wits to escape. It was very gutsy. Imagine coming home and seeing her abductor and cousin's killer standing there with her family. That trauma is almost unimaginable.

Adult Daphne? If she'd been older than 15, I'd have had a tougher time understanding her silence. But, she thought he was dead. Still think she should have told her mother. I don't understand that decision.