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"One night, Avery is awoken by a fire consuming her family's compound; she runs away with her cult brother Cole, hiding in the woods and then in a school gym for weeks. After police apprehend them for shoplifting, a horrific discovery is made-their entire lives have been a lie and they were actually kidnapped as children, taken by the cult leaders they knew as Mom and Dad. Cole is quickly reunited with his family and permanently separated from nineteen-year-old Avery, who is taken to a women's shelter when no family comes forward. Avery isn't certain who survived the Bakelite cult fire or, more importantly, who set it. As she tries to move past the lies and the emotional and physical trauma of her childhood, the events of that fateful night come bursting back into the news, and a police investigation throws Avery back into the spotlight. The memories of that night and her former life threaten to undo all the progress she's made, but she must uncover the truth about the fire to truly be set free"--Book Synopsis
"Not a typical cult novel...Despite Avery's clear trauma and struggle for closure, her voice is strong and clear." - Booklist
"Avery's voice resonates...Powerful and moving." - New York Journal of Books
An emotionally wrought, psychologically twisty coming-of-age story perfect for book clubs about a girl who escapes from a cult after a deadly fire destroys her family's compound, only to be haunted by That Night as she tries to build a new life for herself.
A fire. Her escape. And the realization her entire life has been a lie.
When nineteen-year-old Avery awakens to flames consuming her family's remote compound, she knows it's her only chance to escape her father's grueling survival training, bizarre rules, and gruesome punishments. She and her brother Cole flee the grounds for the first time in their lives, suddenly homeless in a world they know nothing about. After months of hiding out, they are arrested for shoplifting and a shocking discovery is made, resulting in the pair being separated.
Avery is alone and desperate. She is uncertain if her "parents" survived the fire and is terrified to find out. But when the police investigation reveals there may be more survivors, Avery must uncover the truth about the fire to truly be free.
Suspenseful, emotionally charged, and deeply thought-provoking, After We Were Stolen delves into the idea of family--those we're born into and those we make--resilience, and the lengths a cult survivor will go to finally be free of her painful past.
Praise for After We Were Stolen:
"Brooke Beyfuss's After We Were Stolen kept me feverishly turning pages, anxious and eager to find out what happened to Avery and Cole as they emerge from a life they never asked for and into one they're totally unprepared to navigate." --Melanie Abrams, author of Meadowlark
"After We Were Stolen is an intelligent and heartrending story of vulnerability, power, resistance, and redemption. An excellent read that is sure to be a favorite book club pick." --Rebecca Taylor, author of The Secret Next Door
Review Quotes
"Brooke Beyfuss has crafted a beautiful book that ultimately fosters hope founded on the belief that paths can be found to guide us away from even the darkest of pasts. An excellent read that is sure to be a favorite book club pick." -- Rebecca Taylor, author of The Secret Next Door
"Brooke Beyfuss's After We Were Stolen kept me feverishly turning pages, anxious and eager to find out what happened to Avery and Cole as they emerge from a life they never asked for and into one they're totally unprepared to navigate." -- Melanie Abrams, author of Meadowlark
"Not a typical cult novel...Despite Avery's clear trauma and struggle for closure, her voice is strong and clear." -- Booklist
"This heartbreaking novel depicts a young woman's resilience amid abuse and a life of lies. Avery's voice resonates...Powerful and moving...Filled with bewilderment and highly expressive, the conclusion is surprising yet realized." -- New York Journal of Books
