Dear Child is a dark yet heart-wrenching thriller by Romy Hausmann.

“Lena had been missing for 4993 days. And nights. That’s over thirteen years.” Dear Child by Romy Hausmann.

Lena is held captive in a cabin deep in the woods. Every second of her day and that of her two children is controlled by her captor and father of her children. From bedtimes and meal times, even visits to the bathroom, every activity is strictly planned by her captor and any deviation to this schedule is met with the harshest of punishments.
Lena’s parents and the police had continued to search for her since the day she disappeared fourteen years ago until the day she managed to escape her prison.
But is she really who she says she is?

The story is told from the point of view of Lena, her daughter, Hannah and Lena’s father Mathias. This helped me as the reader to witness this story, these experiences from the different perspectives which I found useful and interesting but also a little frustrating at times but this may be because the characters themselves were frustrating.
As the story unfolded, we discovered more about what happened within the walls of that terrifying cabin and with each new revelation the darker this story became. It was descriptive enough without being too gory for which I was grateful for with this subject matter.

I enjoyed reading this book and do recommend if you are ready for a dark and disturbing read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Romy Hausmann and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I've been in a reading slump lately, reading book after book that I didn't really like or that I found to be decidedly average. And then this story came along and I loved it! It was such an easy read, and I loved the speed at which it moved along. I was gripped from the very beginning and even though the first few chapters were a little confusing, this just served to add to the mystery and I couldn't wait to find out exactly what had happened at the cabin, who it had happened to, and where the disconnects lay.
I also loved the fact that this story was narrated by 3 different characters. For me, that always serves to keep things interesting. And having a child narrate some of the story was even better, because children always see the world through such different eyes. Their perceptions of people and situations often leave one quite taken aback.
This is a rather complex story, but not necessarily complicated, and once I got the hang of who was who, and what was actually happening, I followed the events fairly easily. I can't say that I loved all of the characters, but that didn't detract from my enjoyment of this read.
Overall, this was a great read, and one that I definitely recommend.

What an amazing book. This has sat in my to read pile for too long and I really wish I read it sooner. I finished it in 2 days and if it wasn't for work I would have sat up and read it all night!

A friend describes it to me as Gone Girl meets Room and its exactly that.

The book starts where an abduction story usually would end - a woman and child escaping from captivity. It is written from the point of view of 3 main characters, Jasmin the abductee who survived, Hannah the intelligent daughter of the abductor who was born and lived in captivity and Matthias the father of Lena who went missing 13 years prior.

The story covers Jasmins recovery after escaping and leaves it up to you to work out if she is still being taunted by her abductor who everyone knows/think is dead or if she is crazy from imprisonment.

This is a great mystery/thriller read.

I didn't really enjoy this book at all.
Firstly I didn't like how it was written, chaotic and confusing. The characters was fine, Hannah was a great character and I enjoyed how she viewed the world.
The ending was predictable, it wasnt for me.

What a belter! Picked this up and could not put it down! Excellent twist at the end, and whilst I was expecting something to happen, I didn't expect that to happen! Give me more!!!

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Super thrilling, creepy and scary. Well-written lots of twists and turns. A recommended read.

Romy Hausmann’s Dear Child begins where other thrillers often end and takes the breaking news event we might hear about—a young woman escaping from captivity with children in tow—as her starting point, before showing us what life was like for them and how they fare once free.

The paperback of Liebes Kind was everywhere when I was in Frankfurt last year and I regretted not buying a copy almost as soon as I boarded the flight to come home. (note to self: buy an extra wheeled trolley case for books.) Happily, Romy Hausmann’s novel came out here in May, published by Quercus and translated from the German by Jamie Bulloch, so I thought I’d post about it on this last day of Women In Translation Month.

I was interested in this novel because of who gets to tell the story. Dear Child switches between three narrators: Lena, the young woman who was taken and held against her will; Hannah, the daughter born in captivity; and Matthias, Lena’s father, who’s always held out hope that she’d come home ever since her disappearance fourteen years earlier. Their story is further complicated once we make the unnerving discovery that this Lena might not be the same woman who went missing originally.

Dear Child provides an interesting take on what it’s like to be held captive over a long period of time and the physical, emotional and psychological scars this leaves behind. Lena’s description of life in captivity is, understandably, horrific, while Hannah’s narration is decidedly creepy and altogether more disturbing, indicative of the harm done to her while still so young and impressionable. Lena and Hannah’s captor didn’t only hold them prisoner but also imposed further restrictions on them, seeking to control mealtimes, the children’s lessons, and even bathroom breaks.

After having been so confined and limited, it’s fascinating to see how they each adapt to their new-found freedom. Romy Hausmann shows us how they cope in the immediate aftermath, when they’re under the close scrutiny of hospital staff, the police, and Lena’s parents, while also being the subject of unwanted attention from the media and some members of the public, one of them afraid their captor will come back for them and the other missing the only home life she’s ever known.

We also see how Lena’s parents coped in her absence and now again upon her return. It’s fascinating to see how different they are in their approach to each development in the case, and why. One behaves erratically out of love and good intentions, while the other seems cold, almost indifferent. Romy Hausmann shows us the toll the kidnapping takes on everyone and makes you wonder how these shattered people will ever recover any semblance of normal (family) life.

She has us believe that some characters will find a way through this living nightmare. It’s evident in the love and kindness shown by a former flatmate and the (grand)parents but it’s also to be found in what was one of the most surprising, and initially confusing, aspects of the book for me. The way in which Lena tries to provide herself and the children with some temporary respite gave me hope for the future.

Jamie Bulloch has a great feel for the language and his translation is a good one. Dear Child remains true to the original German of Liebes Kind and the story works well even with the language switch, with the characters still sounding as if they belong in the twilight world created in the book.

Romy Hausmann goes beyond the headline news story and all its salacious details to look at the psychological harm done in her case of long-term captivity. Dear Child is a decidedly sinister and creepy thriller, one which left me wanting to read more from the author and this translator in future.

Dear Child By Romy Hausmann
This book starts with a bang, and hooks you in fast, however it did really slow down in the middle.
I did keep reading, the story did hold my interest, and did pick up again towards the end. Overall it was enjoyable and I look forward to more books from this author 3/5

So firstly this is a translation and a good one.
It reads fluently and I couldn’t tell it was a translation at all.
A young woman arrives in the emergency room with her daughter Hannah.
Hannah is a strange girl and as she opens up alarm bells are triggered.
Then there’s the woman herself things here are definitely not what they seem on the surface.
What starts as a straightforward girl returned to her family story soon morphs into something entirely different and there are twists and turns aplenty in this gripping psychological mystery.
So this story unfolds in present time and we also learn through a series of flashbacks about past occurrences.
This is actually told from 3 POV’s the escaped woman herself, the daughter Hannah and the father of Lena everything heavily connected in an intricate web.
It was a gripping page-turner that easily kept my attention with its fascinating storyline.
I enjoyed this one a lot.
I voluntarily reviewed a copy of Dear Child.

An absolutely gripping tale of a child and her mother who escape a psychopath who has them locked up. Set in Germany Lena was abducted 13 years previously. Her parents never ceased searching. But all is not as it seems. Chilling but captivating. 4/5.

This was such a fantastic read. It wasn’t an easy read due to some of the topics but the author has written this so well and I found it difficult to put down.

was hooked on this book from start to finish. Which is saying something because for the past Few weeks havent found a book to get engrossed in. The twists and turns kept me guessing.

chilling and dark - when escaping is just the start of the nightmare - was good to read the different POV - it could have easily gone into the realms of unbelievable but didnt - good read

Really enjoyed this book. Recently I’ve been disappointed by books that have multiple samey POV or where the plot twist has been so outlandish that it’s a joke. This was neither of those things. Each POV character has their own distinct voice and way of thinking, and the plot twist was believable. I’ve already recommended it to my friends and my book group!

Dear Child is a compelling read.
Lena and her two children live in a shack in a remote forest with her children's father.
He tells them when to sleep when to eat and controls every minute of the day and night.
When Lena manages to escape after thirteen years in captivity is she really the person that went missing all those years ago?

I give this book 4 stars
Dear Child by Romy Hausmann
You escaped. But your nightmare has just begun.
Lies ,deceit abduction and escape.....things are definitely not how they seem.
Chilling ,tense and dark thriller.
Told from different points of view,it keeps you guessing till the end.
I was pulled into the story and couldn't stop reading.
Fantastic debut novel!
Highly recommended
Thanks to Netgalley, the Author and the Publisher for my chance to read and review this book

Loved this book! Great read, kept me racing through the pages which covered several difficult topics from abduction to survivor’s guilt, would recommend!

It was a very interesting read, it’s about memory loss, mind games and includes traumatic events that have a lasting impression. I can’t say I was hooked but I enjoyed the book, I think the characters are well described and the author gets in the mind of the aggressor and the victims.
Lots of twists and turns to keep you interested, I was surprised and think fans of this genre will really enjoy it.

I was hooked when I first started reading this one however the pace of the book does begin to slow slightly in the middle - hence why I’ve only give 3 stars

I just finished reading this book in one sitting, it is a real page turner! Full of twists and turns and complex characters. Starts similarly to The Room, but the story goes on and nothing is as it seems. Excellent read, thank you Netgalley!