Sometimes
terrible things can happen to someone no matter how many safety precautions
he or she takes. In Koethi Zan’s at-times
gripping The Never List, Sarah and
Jennifer are two best friends intent on living their lives as safely as
possible, always noting the nearest exit and carrying pepper spray. One day, they are both
kidnapped despite their cautious ways. Sarah spends the next few
years with two other girls, Christine and Tracey, in the kidnapper’s dangerous
hands. Jennifer has a far different
fate.
Zan
weaves her narrative between following the girls as they try to survive in the
dungeon and alternately, as women, trying to make lives for themselves. As the kidnapper continues to communicate
with them from prison, the women desperately attempt to stop him from getting
out on parole. This means going back to a place that they
were hoping never to relive both mentally and physically.
The Never List can be a terrifying
read, and I found my heart beating wildly in quite a few spots. The supporting characters are all interesting
and seamlessly ingrained into the story.
What keeps it from getting a 5, or even a 4, are the last few chapters, which I
found completely outlandish and unbelievable (not in a good way). However, read The Never List with the lights on, for it has some parts that will
definitely keep you up at night.
