The Girl Who Was Taken

Donlea opens the novel in medias res, in the middle of Nicole being chased by an attacker. This immediately establishes the novel’s high stakes and creates tension and suspense. Nicole’s initial terror and desperation are palpable as she drives frantically, seeking help but feeling isolated and unsupported. While there are few answers in this section, Nicole’s inability to call her parents or the police despite her desperate need for assistance suggests that past experiences have led her to believe that authority figures cannot help her. This is reinforced by the statement that “[d]arkness had forever been part of her life” (xx), setting up Nicole’s storyline for an exploration of past vulnerability and trauma.

The second Prologue is similarly action-packed. Leaving the narrator and protagonist nameless creates a sense of disorientation that mimics Megan’s experience of being captured and held hostage. At the same time, this section introduces Megan as a brave, determined character who seizes the chance to flee and pushes through extreme physical distress to reach freedom. The reveal that Megan is one of two victims sets up the rest of the novel’s mystery, though finding Nicole is only one aspect of the plot. The third Prologue highlights the other plotline: the Psychological Impact of Crime on Individuals and Their Families in the aftermath of Megan’s experiences. Although Megan does have the support of her family and the local police, she remains deeply affected by the trauma of her abduction a year after her escape. Her emotional state is mimicked by the narrative’s structure—the frantic pace of the first two Prologues juxtaposes abruptly with the more everyday setting and plot points in the third. Megan struggles with feelings of suffocation from her family’s grief and the public’s fascination with her ordeal. Her participation in the book tour and the expectation for her to have moved on contrasts sharply with her internal reality. This discrepancy underscores how trauma can linger, affecting victims long after the physical danger has passed.

Likewise, The Complexities of Memory and Trauma are evident during Megan’s experience with her book tour. Although everyone around her assumes that her memoir is a coping mechanism and a means of providing answers, for Megan, it symbolizes her ongoing struggle with her past. The act of writing about her trauma may have offered some therapeutic benefits, but Megan primarily feels that it forced her to continually relive her experiences and prevented her from truly healing. Megan’s sense of performance in her daily life—especially regarding her memoir and TV appearances—reflects the dissonance between her internal state and external expectations. This dissonance is a common aspect of trauma, where survivors often grapple with memories that intrude upon their present, making it difficult to fully engage with life or move forward.

These Prologues also hint at the critical Role of Forensic Science in Solving Crimes through the mention of Nicole’s status as a missing person and the public’s fascination with Megan’s story. Megan’s memoir can be seen as part of a broader investigative narrative. By sharing her experiences, Megan contributes to the body of knowledge surrounding her abduction, potentially helping with Nicole’s rescue and similar cases. The implication is that by making her story public and documenting her experience with abduction, Megan’s story can be a tool for investigators and forensic experts to identify patterns, gather evidence, and build profiles that can help solve other crimes or prevent future ones. At the same time, Megan’s story allows the general public to forget Nicole’s disappearance, an outcome Megan is dissatisfied with. As such, her TV appearance sets up her motivation for the rest of the novel: finding Nicole.