The Detour

Gr 7 Up—Livvy, a successful, narcissistic teen novelist, crashes her car on the way to a writers retreat. The last thing she remembers before passing out is a creepy little girl coming at her through the window of her car. When she comes to, she discovers to her horror that she is being held prisoner in the basement of a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. Her captors, a middle-age woman and her unhinged flute-playing daughter, seem to hold a deep grudge against Livvy and plan to hold her until she figures out what she's done wrong and apologizes. As the young novelist devises her plot to escape, she analyzes her own history, puzzling out what the woman and her creepy kid could have against her. As readers learn more about the protagonist's childhood, they better understand her prickly personality. This work pays homage to Stephen King's Misery but is definitely more thriller than horror. Following the bread crumbs, discerning readers will figure out the twist long before Livvy sees it coming, but there is still a lot of satisfaction in watching Livvy's dawning understanding.