Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Above
    Above
    Above
    Audiobook13 hours

    Above

    Written by Isla Morley

    Narrated by Madeleine Maby

    3.5/5

    ()

    Switch to ebook

    About this audiobook

    “Reeled out with the chilling calmness of a Hitchcock film, Above haunts as it illuminates. Deftly told, this tale of human resilience in the face of madness is a horror classic for our times” (Lynn Cullen, bestselling author of Mrs. Poe).

    Blythe Hallowell is sixteen when she is abducted by a survivalist and locked away in an abandoned missile silo in Eudora, Kansas. At first, she focuses frantically on finding a way out, until the harrowing truth of her new existence settles in—the crushing loneliness, the terrifying madness of a captor who believes he is saving her from the end of the world, and the persistent temptation to give up. But nothing prepares Blythe for the burden of raising a child in confinement. Determined to give the boy everything she has lost, she pushes aside the truth about a world he may never see for a myth that just might give meaning to their lives below ground. Years later, their lives are ambushed by an event at once promising and devastating. As Blythe’s dream of going home hangs in the balance, she faces the ultimate choice—between survival and freedom.

    Above is a riveting tale of resilience in which “stunning” (Daily Beast) new literary voice Isla Morley compels us to imagine what we would do if everything we had ever known was taken away. Like the bestselling authors of Room and The Lovely Bones before her, Morley explores the unthinkable with haunting detail and tenderly depicts our boundless capacity for hope.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Audio
    Release dateMar 4, 2014
    ISBN9781442368736
    Author

    Isla Morley

    Isla Morley grew up in South Africa during apartheid, the child of a British father and fourth-generation South African mother. She now lives in Los Angeles with her husband (a minister) and daughter and an assortment of animals. Her debut novel, Come Sunday, was awarded the Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize for Fiction in 2009 and was a finalist for the Commonwealth Prize. It has been translated into seven languages.

    More audiobooks from Isla Morley

    Related to Above

    Related audiobooks

    Suspense For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Hide

      May 18, 2022

      RELEASED 24 MAY 256 pages | Hardback/ebook/audiobook Author Kiersten White Publisher Del Rey “The book you need after Squid Game!” yells the hype for Kiersten White’s latest. Well, sort of. In fact this well-written horror novel feels closer to The C

      1 min read

    • Article

      Ninth House

      Oct 9, 2019

      RELEASED OUT NOW! 450 pages | Hardback/ebook/audiobook Author Leigh Bardugo Publisher Gollancz Fantasy writers were fascinated by schools and colleges long before Harry Potter caught the train to Hogwarts, and it’s fairly easy to draw up a list of th

      1 min read

    • Article

      Our Share Of Night

      Nov 2, 2022

      RELEASED OUT NOW! 736 pages | Hardback/ebook Author Mariana Enriquez Publisher Granta Books This book is A Lot. You may need to take palate-cleansing breaks with kitten videos on YouTube… if you can put it down, that is. A hit on its original publica

      1 min read

    • Article

      Crimes of the Heart

      Nov 5, 2016

      Like many of his novels, Spanish author Javier Marías’ new book, Thus Bad Begins, isn’t exactly a mystery, though it is mysterious. Here, the 65-year-old perennial Nobel favorite tells the story of Juan de Vere, a young man working for a film directo

      1 min read

    • Article

      Side Gig

      Aug 8, 2019

      Side Gig
      6 min read

    • Article

      Life Beyond Zoom

      Dec 3, 2020

      Life Beyond Zoom
      7 min read

    • Article

      After “The End”

      Oct 10, 2022

      I walked down the road with a hunched back and a wet cigarette in my mouth—the fire had died a while back. My hands were tucked into the pockets of my jacket, and my hair fell over my face, limiting my sight. But I wasn’t really seeing where I was go

      10 min read

    • Article

      Coming To Terms

      May 25, 2021

      Coming To Terms
      14 min read

    • Article

      Good Bones

      Mar 19, 2020

      Good Bones
      18 min read

    • Article

      Cricket League

      Jan 1, 2021

      “Psst, I need to talk to you.” My best friend, looking super excited, is pulling me toward the nearest classroom. It’s empty, and she shuts the door. “This is really big. I made a time machine, and it can take our brains back in time if you know how

      7 min read

    • Article

      Summer Reads

      Dec 30, 2019

      Summer Reads
      7 min read

    • Article

      Blackberries

      Apr 5, 2023

      Blackberries
      24 min read

    • Article

      Cricket League

      Sep 1, 2022

      First prize 10 and under Tang Li, age 9 Palmetto Bay, FL My name is Anisa. I was in Hawaii on vacation. I enjoyed sipping refreshing drinks, overlooking the turquoise ocean, and dancing with others, before I overheard that the priceless Fire Ring wa

      10 min read

    • Article

      The Problem with My Dachshund

      Dec 11, 2019

      The Problem with My Dachshund
      10 min read

    • Article

      Proverbs Of A Faceless Time

      Dec 1, 2023

      Proverbs Of A Faceless Time
      9 min read

    • Article

      Come with Me

      Dec 1, 2022

      Come with Me
      12 min read

    • Article

      Let Me Do It

      Jun 1, 2023

      Let Me Do It
      6 min read

    • Article

      Diary Of A Country Mouse

      Mar 3, 2020

      THURSDAY, 10 DECEMBER. Giles shows us the sample mice and I am, as if for the first time, overcome with joy. Perhaps when I was a child I had feelings like this—but not in many years. I look, for instance, at a small gray mouse, smaller than the othe

      17 min read

    • Article

      Lies I Tell My Father

      Feb 10, 2024

      “How’s your job at the newspaper?” my father asks me. He is sitting on a couch, a plush throw blanket spread across his legs. “The newspaper’s fine,” I lie. I lie because it is simple. I lie because it is quick. I lie because it is easier than trying

      10 min read

    • Article

      The Space Between Us

      Oct 9, 2019

      The Space Between Us
      8 min read

    • Article

      Strange Season

      Jun 4, 2020

      Strange Season
      14 min read

    • Article

      A PRECIOUS Moment In Time

      Jun 17, 2019

      There’s something about Lambrook Hall that always draws me back and I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve been here. I don’t really care if it’s hundreds, to be honest. I can’t resist it. I’m in the dining room again now. Not the ballroom or the lib

      6 min read

    • Article

      The Show Boy

      Oct 9, 2019

      The Show Boy
      9 min read

    • Article

      Famous People

      Mar 1, 2022

      Famous People
      15 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Above

    3.5/5

    101 ratings29 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      "Above", by Isla Morley, is a fiction novel about Blythe Halloway, a 16-year-old kidnapped by a conspiracy-theorist/survivalist who believes the End of the World is near, convinced that he and Blythe will be the only chance of humanity's resurgence when they emerge. Almost twenty years later, Blythe finally escapes with her 15-year-old son, conceived, born, and raised in the abandoned missile silo that her captor held them in. Her relief at regaining her freedom is quickly extinguished when she realizes that her captor had actually spared her from the devastating nuclear disaster that occurred a few months after he took her. In the course of finding answers and her family, she encounters a questionable government agency intent on using her son for breeding purposes, since he had no radiation exposure and would create a 'pure' line. They get help by a good Samaritan in escaping yet again, and Blythe is able to piece together the events that unfolded during her captive years. While the main plot is engaging and interesting, I found the story to be too drawn out. The book is suitable to be adapted into a miniseries of sorts, as it seems to be better broken up into shorter sequences. There were certain parts of the book that seemed a bit too fantastical (those 'come on! really?' cliche' moments), such as the survival of two important characters from the disaster despite the overwhelming fatalities in the area. Fortunately, they do not distract too heavily from the story. Where this book excels is in Morley's ability to make the reader start seeing the antagonist almost as a savior. She takes the reader through an introspective of what is good, what is evil, and where those lines get blurred. With a bit of paring down, this book would be quickly added to my recommended 'should-read' list. Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.
    • 4/5
      The blurb of this book sounded interesting, but I worried it would be too much like Emma Donoghue’s Room - a book I loved, but once it’s been done, all you’re going to do is compare, and someone’s going to come up short. Though they start fairly similarly, Morley’s Above is drastically different than any other captivity books I’ve read. The book has a timeless quality that really works (until a mention of cell phones SO CLOSE to the end!), and though I didn’t feel like I really knew Blythe, I was emotionally invested in the story. It dragged a bit at times, and there was a lot of description of the place where she was held captive, which somehow made it harder for me to picture. But the suspense in this story is amazing, as well as the disbelief that washes over you in the second half. Highly recommended.
    • 5/5
      I loved this story! About 3 quarters into it I was actually yelling at the main character to open her mouth and communicate more but by the end I was fine with how it all played out. I love when unexpected things happen because so often with plotlines I have the ending somewhat figured out early on. This book really gave a good twist and it wasn't just at the ending either, it really opened up the story to go much more in depth and created a whole other world to figure out.
    • 2/5
      This book took me much longer to read than most. The idea was neat, but it was much too similar to ROOM to really stand alone. I think that it could have been really great if the first half of the book "below" was more unique. The second half "above" was a much more unique story and interesting. I was excited about the second half and finding out what happened to the world above. Overall, not my favorite read and not one I would go back to again. I would recommend this to someone looking for a book that is similar to ROOM or looking for a doomsday read.
    • 4/5
      An excellent book. I loved the way Morley dealt with time, and there were surprises at every turn. I didn't love the ending, but would definitely recommend this book!
    • 3/5
      The "Below" part of this book was spectacular and really well done but unfortunately the "Above" part was rather disappointing and I lost interest pretty quickly after that.
    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed this book. The story was captivating and the author's use of imagery and language painted such a vivid picture, the thoughts and actions of the characters came alive. I really hated for the story to end.
    • 2/5
      In Above by Isla Morley Blythe Hallowell is abducted by creepy school librarian and survivalist Dobbs Hordin and taken to an abandoned Atlas F missile silo located by Eudora, Kansas, her hometown. Dobbs tells Blythe he is saving her from the end of the world. Once the world ends, Dobbs and Blythe will be prepared to take their rightful place and repopulate the earth. As a captive, Blythe must struggle with her crushing loneliness, isolation, as well as giving birth.

      The novel is separated into two sections: Below and Above. Obviously the first part of the narrative deals with Blythe's captivity below ground and her coping mechanisms while the second portends a future.

      There is no doubt that Above is a compelling novel to read and will keep you engrossed in all the action.
      However, for me Above was a so-so read. I have several major problems with it.

      First I really felt that the beginning of Morley's novel owes too great a debt to Emma Donoghue's Room. I totally understand that abduction and captivity of a young woman in a novel may be coincidental, but it felt too similar at the beginning. I will acknowledge that the comparison ends in the second half when the story takes a dystopian turn.

      This duality of the two sections is another problem for me. The complete novel felt like two separate novels crammed together without the benefit of enough development of the plot to make the complete novel work as the sweeping dystopian saga it wants to be. The ideas are there, but the execution is lacking and inconsistent.

      For most readers the BIGGEST problem I had with Above won't be a problem for you at all, so you can ignore this complaint.
      I wish Morley had made up a mythical city in Kansas rather than using an existing one, because she repeatedly annoyed me with her descriptions and summations of the area. See I live in Lawrence Kansas, home of the University of Kansas, only 6 miles from Eudora, Blythe's longed-for hometown. While Eudora is a small town, the population is almost 3 times Morley's number. That wouldn't include the large population living outside the city limits. And there is a very large population living in the country. It's only about 20 minutes down the highway until you reach the outer suburbs of the whole Johnson County/Kansas City suburban area. When Morley said "Douglas County, Kansas, land of miles and miles of nothing" I wanted her to leave California and come see the nothing she is describing, because if she has visited the area she missed an essential truth: that it's actually pretty close to a large population area thus we have many commuters living here, in these miles and miles of nothing, in towns and acreages.

      But then she might simply need to visit Kansas in February. Blythe describes her 5th birthday party. She says her mother has set up the card table in the backyard... on February 2nd. Ummm, not likely. We've had some bitter cold days here in Kansas in February. Sure, sometimes it warms up but no one would be putting up a card table in the backyard for a birthday party on February 2.
      And yes, FYI, there are seagulls inland on lakes.

      Disclosure: I received an advanced reading copy of this book from the Gallery Books for review purposes.

    • 2/5
      **Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

      Abducted by a survivalist & locked away in an abandoned missile silo while having to endure rape at the hands of your abductor? The plot of this book is pretty much one of my worst nightmares. I thought I would enjoy it but unfortunately it's just not as good as other books with similar plots...ROOM & The Lovely Bones. Both of those books really set the bar for stories about people trapped & kept locked up.
      My major complaint & the most disturbing aspect of this story is that the main character was raped & by the end of the book it seemed as though the author was trying to leave you with the impression that the rapist wasn't really that bad of a guy. Unbelievable. The guy kidnapped, raped & kept a girl and her baby locked up. That is the definition of a bad guy. Plus, never is a rapist not such a bad guy. I'm a bit shocked that a female author would attempt to cast a not so negative light on a rapist.
    • 5/5
      Such an interesting twist to this genre. Kept me spellbound and up late at night devouring every page. Loved this book and would recommend to anyone looking for something they can sink their teeth into
    • 2/5
      This book ended up being nothing like I thought it would be. The first half of the book is very reminiscent of "Room" by Emma Donoghue. And then it takes a very strange turn. **SPOILERS COMING** Even though I understand that life and people are complicated, I really wanted my hatred of Dobbs to be simple. He was a terrible man, end of story. But it wasn't the end of the story because he was kind of right about the apocalypse-type destruction that is "Diablo." Was he really trying to protect Blythe? Was she better off with him? Personally, I didn't enjoy pondering those questions. Style-wise, I thought the book was strong. There are some beautiful descriptions. The second half of the book (and especially the last 100 pages) moved very slowly for me. Once I realized that Dobbs was inexplicably "right," I lost some interest and the story became kind of depressing. It gets tied up very neatly in the end with Blythe reconnecting with Mercy and Arlo. I mean, what are the chances? I guess that was supposed to give me warm fuzzies, but I was still let down. All in all, I would read another of Morley's books because I enjoyed her writing. This story just didn't do it for me.
    • 3/5
      This is a novel of two halves. The premise of the story is that 16 year old Blythe Hallowell is taken by a man she knows and is kept captive in a disused silo. She is completely lost to her family and friends. The man who has abducted her believes that a disaster will befall the earth and he is keeping her safe. When she has a son to look after she struggles to look after him and keep him safe.It says on the back of the book that if you think you know what's going to happen then you're wrong and it's true, the twist was completely unexpected and not at all the way I thought the second half was going to go. I'd also say that the second half was less my kind of book than the first, but it was a clever turn of events. I enjoyed the first half more, being the tale of Blythe's confinement and how she dealt with everything that came her way. Overall I thought this was a good book, one which was surprisingly different, but not one I would rave about.
    • 1/5

      I received a copy of this book via Netgalley for an honest review.

      The story starts with Blythe, a teenager, being kidnapped by a survivalist librarian and stuffed in an underground missile silo. She is never found and lives with this crazy man who eventually joins her in living in the silo. She is raped, repeatedly and eventually bears a son who is raised in the silo.

      I enjoyed the first part of this story, but it rapidly went from enjoyable to tedious. The formatting wasn't great (it was an E-ARC, so I didn't use that in my rating), and add to that the writing was disjointed.

      Then came the plot twist... I nearly tossed the book to the DNF pile at that point, but kept going. It was as if the author lost all control of the story and that came across in the writing.

      I do not recommend.
    • 4/5
      After finishing this book it has taken me a while to fully digest it. Not for the normal reason of the story, but rather because I simply can not decide whether I enjoyed it or not. The first thing that I noted about the book is the physical production of the book is hard to read. It is produced in a very unforgiving paperback which was physically hard to hold and turn the pages. When you start the book it is far from slow and the story takes off almost immediately. However, I would not say that I initially thought it was a hit with me. I believe in parts this is due to the horrendous images the author has created through the horror the female hero goes through. The horror throughout the book is more referred than actually written. This makes the psychological impact of what you read even more. The author has an excellent use of language which makes this reading hard but beautifully written. There are times when this books slips through several years over a chapter. Sometimes this jump appears too large a leap. The book may have benefited from dates being added to the beginning of the chapters to help with these jumps. As the book progresses however it changes genre. The first part of the book I would describe as psychological thriller and is clearly horrific in parts. The second half of the book then changes to dystopian. I thought this twist was clearly very clever and greatly enjoyed it. However, I do wonder whether this clever twist maybe the downfall of the book for some readers. I have also seen this book advertised as a young adult read and would greatly disagree with this. I would offer caution if you suggest a young adult read this before you are fully aware of the content. The ending of the book is unusual in the fact that it has not got a characteristic big bang ended but still manages to complete the story perfectly. I urge anyone who would wants to read a book that does not fit into the normal parameters of a novel to pick this up. I only hope some of my friends do as I would love to discuss this further with others, it is that type of book.
    • 4/5
      Sixteen-year-old Blythe Hallowell is abducted and locked in an abandoned missile silo by an obsessed survivalist who is convinced he is saving her from Armageddon. She is kept underground for seventeen years eventually giving birth to a son, Adam. To keep Adam entertained and herself from going insane, she tells him stories about what life is like above. But, when she finally escapes with her now fifteen-year-old son, there is no way she could have imagined what above has become.Above by Isla Morley is an interesting take on the dystopian novel. The first half of the novel is divided between Blythe’s time before her capture and her time below in the silo. The juxtaposition of the almost idyllic setting of small town USA against the claustrophobic and creepy feel of the silo creates a strong feeling of tension as well as sympathy for Blythe. That most of this takes place in a cramped space with, at most three characters, over long periods of time, should be boring and the story does, at times, seem slow. However, just as the reader’s interest begins to sag, something jolts us and makes us sit up and pay attention. The second half, above, is a bit more chaotic with much more action and many more characters and plot lines to follow. Again, this juxtaposition of Blythe’s two realities is somewhat jarring but, given the nature of the tale, this works. Above is also divided into two distinct parts. In the first, it seems like Blythe and Adam have escaped only to trade their captivity below with captivity above. It is only in the last quarter that the two finally see a chance for freedom and the book ends on a surprisingly hopeful note.I enjoyed Above quite a bit At times, it was rather slow but it never made me lose interest in the story or the main characters. Much of that is due to Blythe who makes for a very sympathetic narrator and Adam whose innocence below and his fascination with all things above provides a needed antidote to the otherwise bleak landscape both below and above. For fans of dystopia, Above is a nice addition to the genre.
    • 3/5
      Im not sure what to say. This was not the book I expected. Parts of it were hopeful and frightening. Other parts were desolate and surreal. It's a book I'll continue to think about!
    • 5/5
      Abducted at sixteen and held captive in a underground missile silo for more years than that, Blythe Hallowell has to deal with not only her captor (you school librarian) and his rants about the end of the world, she deals with loneliness and eventually the future of the son she bore. Constantly thinking about escaping and being free, her dream comes true one day and now she has more to deal with than she thought.I wondered how a story about being locked in a missile silo could fill a book and stay captivating, but this one certainly did it. Not only does it take the reader into the mind of Blythe but that of her captor, Dobbs. There is so much hope and despair and many more emotions that resonated through the pages. So when she finally escapes, I was thrilled, but was certainly surprised by the twist in the story that made the second part of the book even more riveting. I couldn’t put this book down and you probably won’t either!
    • 3/5
      "Above", by Isla Morley, is a fiction novel about Blythe Halloway, a 16-year-old kidnapped by a conspiracy-theorist/survivalist who believes the End of the World is near, convinced that he and Blythe will be the only chance of humanity's resurgence when they emerge. Almost twenty years later, Blythe finally escapes with her 15-year-old son, conceived, born, and raised in the abandoned missile silo that her captor held them in. Her relief at regaining her freedom is quickly extinguished when she realizes that her captor had actually spared her from the devastating nuclear disaster that occurred a few months after he took her. In the course of finding answers and her family, she encounters a questionable government agency intent on using her son for breeding purposes, since he had no radiation exposure and would create a 'pure' line. They get help by a good Samaritan in escaping yet again, and Blythe is able to piece together the events that unfolded during her captive years. While the main plot is engaging and interesting, I found the story to be too drawn out. The book is suitable to be adapted into a miniseries of sorts, as it seems to be better broken up into shorter sequences. There were certain parts of the book that seemed a bit too fantastical (those 'come on! really?' cliche' moments), such as the survival of two important characters from the disaster despite the overwhelming fatalities in the area. Fortunately, they do not distract too heavily from the story. Where this book excels is in Morley's ability to make the reader start seeing the antagonist almost as a savior. She takes the reader through an introspective of what is good, what is evil, and where those lines get blurred. With a bit of paring down, this book would be quickly added to my recommended 'should-read' list. Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.
    • 3/5
      I got a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review I was so very excited to read this book because all the reviews were compairing this book to "ROOM" which i LOVED! Sadly this book did not even come close to how good "ROOM" was. I was very disappointed. And I found out after reading this book that i do not like distopian books AT ALL Blythe Hallowell is a 16 year old girl who was kidnapped by her library school teacher and taken under ground. She was lot aloud to leave and every time she asked when she could go home the library teacher told her about how the world was going to end and he was saving her and one day they will emerage from under ground and start there own population. Blythe was abused and raped by her capture and ended up having a little baby girl that passes away right after birth. The capture ends up kidnapping a little boy to bring back to blythe since she was so heart broken from loosing her child. I am not going to into details about the boy because i do not want to spoil the story, except to say it does not end well.She does end up having another baby, a boy this time, who survives and lives with her for a long time named Adam. When Adam is 15 years old blythe makes a daring escape with Adam and try to go "ABOVE" only to realize what the capture has been saying all along actually happend. The world was coming to an end and all these horriable things were happening. On a misson to find her parents and family she runs into the "locals" who have some sort of deformaity from radation. As Blythe’s dream of going home hangs in the balance, she faces the ultimate choice—between survival and freedom.The begining of the book is so good it sucks you in and you just can not stop reading. then the book get VERY boring. VERY. It picks up again once they escape, but then i found it boring AGAIN. if your a big fan of distopian then this book is for you
    • 4/5
      The narrative is a well written first-person account of a young woman who is kidnapped and held for seventeen years in an abandoned missile silo. Filled with tension on nearly every page, readers encounter despair, hope, love, remorse and frequent opportunities to challenge themselves for solutions. This is one of those books that are difficult to put down and which maintain interest from beginning to end. The ending is philosophical and well written. I suspect we will hear more from Isla Morley in the future.This was an advanced reader edition in e-book format received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
    • 3/5
      Sixteen-year-old Blythe is a (surprisingly old-fashioned) small-town girl in Kansas whose life is turned upside down when she is abducted by Dobbs, the school librarian and a doomsday prepper, and kept prisoner in an abandoned missile silo to wait for societal collapse.During her captivity, she gives birth to a son (Adam) and finds a way to raise him underground. This first half of the book owes a lot to Donahue's Room, but lacks Room's attention to detail. We see snippets of Adam's childhood, but miss details that would bring the situation into starker relief. When Adam is fifteen, Blythe kills Dobbs and the two of them escape from the silo. This shifts the book into part two, a dystopic look at post-apocalyptic America. Blythe and Adam must figure out who to trust in a world that looks nothing like the world Blythe remembers, and Adam in particular is in danger because he hasn't been touched by nuclear fallout.Ultimately, Above is engaging, and I came close to crying in the first half. Blythe is a compelling narrator, and her story moves quickly. But the book's structure as two novels crammed on top of each other means that both novels suffer; we don't see enough detail in the first half, and the second half doesn't get enough world-building to make the new society work. Plus, we are deprived of seeing any of Blythe's struggle to reorient herself after almost two decades of captivity or Adam's struggle in an overwhelming and unfamiliar world. And upon finishing the novel, I found it hard to believe that Dobbs never explained to Blythe that the apocalypse he had been waiting for -- had *kidnapped her to protect her from* -- had actually come. Likewise, while Blythe's reunion with her best friend is wonderful, the lack of closure with her family felt like a missing dimension, and the reunion with her one-time crush felt contrived. In the end, I felt that Above was a good effort to bridge two sorts of stories and two genres, but couldn't quite make it work. The post-apocalyptic section didn't improve much from having an "outsider" narrator, and deserved a full treatment. Likewise, Room + dystopia wasn't much of an improvement on Room.
    • 3/5
      I would like to thank NetGalley and Gallery Books for a chance to read this eARC. Although I received the ebook for free, that in no way influences my review of the book.I am a secret no one is able to tell.Blythe Hallowell is sixteen when she is abducted by a survivalist and locked away in an abandoned missile silo in Eudora, Kansas. At first, she focuses frantically on finding a way out, until the harrowing truth of her new existence settles in—the crushing loneliness, the terrifying madness of a captor who believes he is saving her from the end of the world, and the persistent temptation to give up. But nothing prepares Blythe for the burden of raising a child in confinement. Determined to give the boy everything she has lost, she pushes aside the truth about a world he may never see for a myth that just might give meaning to their lives below ground. Years later, their lives are ambushed by an event at once promising and devastating. As Blythe’s dream of going home hangs in the balance, she faces the ultimate choice—between survival and freedom.16-year old Blythe Hallowell is a small town girl living in Eudora, Kansas, where possibly the most exciting thing to happen is their annual parade. Blythe is in a hurry to get to go meet her former best friend, Arlo, who has recently returned after two years away. The Arlo that has returned has captured the interest of all the local girls, so when he announces to Blythe that he wants to marry her, raise kids, and spend the rest of their lives together it is pretty easy to see why shy Blythe is beyond flattered. After fighting with her mom about escorting her youngest brother as he rides his bike in the parade Blythe finally manages to reach the bleachers and Arlo. It is here that Blythe experiences her first kiss, which simply blows her away. Arlo leaves, promising to be back, but after waiting for a bit Blythe gets mad. She wants to teach Arlo that she isn't about to wait around for him forever just because he kissed her.While walking home in a stew a car pulls alongside her. It is Dobbs Hordin, the local librarian and Blythe's friend. He tells her there has been an accident and her 20-year old brother is involved, that he is there to bring her to him. She jumps in the car, so concerned about her brother that Dobbs has to help her buckle her seatbelt, showing you exactly where her head is at. But Dobbs doesn't bring her to the local hospital, instead he drives her to a door in a field. And just like that Blythe is his captive, trapped in one of the many decommissioned missile silos that dot the Midwest.Once there he forces her to write a brief letter to her parents, a few short lines saying she's taken a bus into a large city and not to come looking for her. She does it because she thinks they will be leaving the Silo after. After writing the letter he shaves her head, and makes her shave her pubic hair. His reason for this treatment is that hair fibers are what give away idiots, and he isn't going out like that. It becomes crystal clear to Blythe that he isn't letting her go. From here he leaves her, and the lights suddenly go out, leaving her alone in the pitch dark. He forgot to mention that the lights were on a timer. It quickly becomes clear that Dobbs isn't playing with the same deck of cards as everyone else.Years of escape attempts have worn Blythe down. She no longer tracks time accurately, but instead by the more momentous events in her life. After a time Dobbs rapes her, getting her pregnant, which is all part of his plan. He is a survivalist who had spent eighteen years preparing the Silo, the last two of which were for including Blythe. He saved documents (makes sense for a librarian), as many seed packets as possible, even animals in formaldehyde - all part of his modern day Ark, casting himself as Noah. And Blythe was to be the mother of the new world, once it was safe to go above again. So this pregnancy was earlier than he'd planned, but he lets her keep the baby, who she names Adam.As just like that Blythe's life is all about Adam. She does everything she can think of to entertain him, including creating fantasies of above, for she refuses to believe Dobbs that anything bad has cone to pass. She is sure he's just saying it to keep them under his control. It may seem as if I've just told you the whole book, but trust me when I say I've barely scratched the surface. The first three-quarters of the book are told from Blythe's POV while trapped living in the Below, living in the Silo, where her space can be measured in steps. The final quarter of the book doesn't ring as true as what has come before. I won't say why, as I don't want to give anything away. I will say that the entire book has very strong religious overtones. No where does it say that the book is a Christian story, but it makes more sense once you realize that Ms. Morley is married to a minister, so her personal life may have spilled over to help accent and shade the story.I've heard that some readers feel Blythe is too old-fashioned for her age and era. She certainly comes across that way, yet part of that comes from the clothes that Dobbs has supplied for her, and from Blythe herself. It was her love of poetry that helped Dobbs select her as the one he would save and repopulate the world with. And her poetry is more inline with the more traditional poetry than what you find being written today. But I also think that Ms. Morley was trying to show an innocence that one associates with small towns, particularly small Midwestern towns.While many have compared this book to the Room and The Lovely Bones, I think that this book should be judged on its own merits. There are enough differences between the books that you will be doing yourself a disservice to read this book with those two being held up for comparison and contrast. That being said, the book lost me in the end. It went from a strong psychological thriller component to something else, and the end felt both rushed and drawn out at the same time. Personally I probably would have ended the book at that event described by the jacket as:Years later, their lives are ambushed by an event at once promising and devastating. As Blythe’s dream of going home hangs in the balance, she faces the ultimate choice—between survival and freedom.But then that is just me, and many would probably disagree. This book is a quick read, and worth the time. At 384 pages it isn't too long or too short, and Ms. Morley does manage to pack lots into the whole book. Unfortunately it simply feels to me as if she wasn't sure how she wanted to end the book, which is why we get such a wide variety of events crammed into the final section of the book, many of which didn't feel as if they added to the story as much as they confused things. I give this book 3.5 stars, but it just doesn't gpquite have it for me to round up to 4 stars.
    • 5/5
      I received this e-book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!When I started reading this novel, I wondered if it was going to be like 'Room' but soon found out it wasn't. The only similarity was that the protagonist was kidnapped as a teenager and held captive for over 16 years by a mentally-ill man. She was cut off from civilization living below ground in a silo which had been built for living in if there were to be a world disaster. She experienced many emotions trying to adjust to her circumstances and was very lonely and fearful. This is a dark, depressing and suspense-filled read and I couldn't put it down. I just had to find out what would happen next.The author did a great job of pacing the novel with strong characters so that the reader could digest what was actually happening. I don't want to put any spoilers in this review because it is worthwhile to wait and let the story develop. There are some bizarre twists and turns, enough to keep you wanting more. The plotting is superb! I give it 5 Stars!This book will make you think: "Could this really happen?" I predict this novel will be a bestseller and I can't wait to read Isla Morley's next novel.
    • 4/5
      Wow! This book wore me out. It is the remarkably imaginative story of a living nightmare that doesn't seem like it will ever end. I was amazed when slightly more than a third of the way through the conflict seemed to be resolved. Boy was I wrong! Things were just getting going. This is a unique dystopian tale that seems like it will have a hopeless ending, but time and again there are surprises. The ending is a good one that highlights the very best in humans. The author could certainly have made this into more than one book, but I'm glad that she chose to put it all together. "Above" may be marketed mostly as a young adult title, but I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys strong drama. There is much conflict with enough twists and turns that it will hold the interest of even a more casual reader. I thank the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.
    • 3/5
      ***THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS***Lazy summer days, picnics in the park, squabbling among siblings, a racing heart caused by a promising young man… these are the types of things that are supposed to punctuate the young life of Blythe Hallowell. A 16-year old girl in Eudora, Kansas has her whole life ahead of her. That is until Dobbs Hordin, school librarian, tricks her into getting into his car. This decision will change the course of her life irreparably.Dobbs squirrels Blythe away deep, deep into the earth contained securely in an abandoned missile silo. Outfitted with living quarters, rations, and sturdy locks on all the doors, Blythe finds herself in a living hell she desperately wishes to escape. Dobbs, coming and going as he pleases, talks incessantly about an apocalypse happening above, a world unrecognizable. Blythe, acutely aware of Dobbs’ tenuous grip on reality, finds she can do nothing but play along until freedom presents itself. In the meantime, she gives birth twice, plays Mom for a short time to a child Dobbs abducts from “Above”, and plays along to Dobbs’ fantasy as his wife. She bides her time expertly, never forgetting her family and her life above, but making the best with the worst situation.Approximately halfway through the book, the story’s momentum is turned on its ear. We are thrust from abduction thriller to post-apocalyptic dystopian. The world as Blythe left it no longer exists. She must forge through this brand new world, though not alone, and figure out how she will survive.Above had me from start to finish. I devoured this novel. The abduction and her life following was harrowing, suffocating, and heartbreaking. Moments of pure joy were marred by an undercurrent of constant terror, and I found myself needing to remember to breathe. The post-apocalyptic dystopian part caught me absolutely by surprise, and I found myself see-sawing between despair, hope, gratefulness, and trepidation for the future.One really strange bit that kept pulling me out of the story: The way Ms. Morley writes the “before” portion of the book makes me feel like Blythe was a 16-year old in the 50s or 60s. I couldn’t shake it, and then when she wrote about someone in her teenage years talking on a cell phone, it shattered my illusion for a bit. There’s a bit of old-fashioned infused in the text.Overall, I really enjoyed the pace of this book. I love the incredible spectrum of emotions I felt while reading. Some of the scenes after Blythe resurfaces were clunky, and one in particular I think was completely unnecessary (Blade taking them to the place with the bones), but I enjoyed this story nonetheless.Thanks go to NetGalley & Gallery/Simon&Schuster for the ARC e-galley.
    • 5/5
      I received a ebook copy for a honest review from netgalley. I liked this book a lot. So much I read this book within 24 hours. A very first for me! A 16-year-old girl from a small town in Kansas is kidnapped and put in a missile silo by an extreme doomsday prepper. She tries to escape many times only to fail. Her kidnapper tells her the world has went bad and she does not want anything to do with up above. She remains down below for 17 years and when she finally comes out there's a big surprise. I wasn't expecting the story to end up going the way it turns out but it is a nice surprise. It would make a good movie.
    • 4/5
      I received this book as a Goodreads first-reads selection and I am glad I did. I really enjoyed this book. It took me only a few days to read as it truly kept you engrossed. The story is that of 16 year old Blythe whom one night is abducted by the school librarian and is taken to an abandoned silo. The librarian, Dobbs, can talk of nothing else but the apocalypse and how he is protecting Blythe from the chaos which will ensue. Blythe is kept underground in the silo for nearly 17 years; a time in which she gives birth to a still-born, becomes the surrogate mother to another child Dobbs takes and lastly gives birth to her son Adam. Fast forward 15 years when Blythe and her son Adam escape the silo only to go above ground and find that Dobbs wasn't crazy after all, the world did nearly come to an end and Blythe and Adam are not as equipped as they thought they would be to deal with the changes this brings to their lives. The book was riveting and written with such beautiful prose that it was impossible to put down. I only have two criticisms regarding the book. The first was when I opened my package with the book inside I was surprised to find a different cover of a farm landscape which I did not find as appealing as the one with the one with the vibrant colors on it. From a marketing standpoint I'm not sure I would have picked the cover I received, but that is just me. I'm always attracted to the cover first, the book second. Lastly, it was mentioned that it was reminiscent of the book Room, which other than both protagonists being kidnapped and giving birth to their captures children I found little if anything similar between the two books.
    • 3/5
      Disappointed that her boyfriend has not returned, Blythe leaves the fair and heads home. Along the way, she is kidnapped by the librarian, Dobbs. He keeps her in an abandoned underground silo for 17 years. She being to hear voices in her head. She thinks she is loosing your mind. Dobbs constantly speaks of a coming conflagration and the need to remain underground. Blythe has a child who is stillborn. Dobbs brings down a little boy to replace her, then takes him away. She has another child and devotes her days to raising him. He is her life and his existence brings back her sanity. Her attempts to escape are constantly thwarted. She speaks to her son of life above ground, yearning to take him there. But then, they finally escape, only to find that Dobbs may not have been as crazy as Blythe thought and everything she remembered has been forever changed. This book takes the reader along the journey with Blythe. The journey underground. The journey though the years with her captor. The journey back above. The journey home. I have not been compensated in any way (other than being given a copy of this book to review) and my opinion on the book is entirely my own.
    • 4/5
      The first chapters grabbed me and I was excited to leap from page to page..What next??? Then somewhere after the middle I felt like someone put a pin hole in the story balloon and the story slowly lost ground until a weak end.When a book is started with very few characters and then you turn a page and you have 45 people to keep track of the story lost, for me, all cadence.