The Keeping

At the start of Ransom’s clunky debut, teenager Sierra Hart wakes up in a small, locked room with absolutely no recollection of how she got there. What follows is an investigative journey through her family history and current romantic entanglements. Sierra’s life in Laketown, N.Y., is revealed through a detailed diary she keeps while imprisoned and the narratives of those closest to her: her parents, Patrick and Dr. Laura Hart; her ex-boyfriend, Dave Braun; and the new boy in her life, Gavin Ross. Unfortunately, not all of the narratives serve the purpose of moving the story forward, and the immense amount of backstory negates the suspense. Awkward prose doesn’t help (“The water pooled in a small, deep, divot as the fear exploded up her throat, across her tongue and out of her mouth in a desperate shrill wail that fell flat, in the trapped air”). (BookLife)