Child Abduction Novels: Background information when reading The Stranger on the Train

Child Abduction Novels

This article relates to The Stranger on the Train

The sudden disappearance of a young child is certainly one of a parent's worst nightmares. It's probably no wonder, then, that the topic has been explored in a large number of novels, ranging from straightforward mysteries and thrillers to more literary approaches that use child abduction as a springboard for exploration of other topics. Here are a few recommended novels from across that range:

The Deep End of the Ocean by Jacquelyn Mitchard
You might remember this book as the very first title chosen for Oprah's Book Club almost twenty years ago. It's still a powerful and moving exploration of the ways in which a child's abduction - or any sort of family tragedy, really - has implications for members of the family far beyond the original events.



The Child in Time by Ian McEwan
One of McEwan's early novels, this deeply disturbing but beautifully written story opens with the disappearance of the protagonist's three-year-old daughter from a shopping center. The resulting search and associated mourning prompts reflection on marital discord, the passage of time, and the loss of innocence.



King of the Badgers by Philip Hensher
The disappearance of an eight-year-old girl from the British town of Hanmouth lays bare the stark class distinctions in this seemingly quiet town, while also bringing to light it's residents darkest and most hidden secrets. An ugly crime reveals the sometimes ugly face of suburbia in this satirical and yet emotionally genuine novel.



Ruin Falls by Jenny Milchman
This second suspense novel by Milchman takes a more straightforward approach to the topic. When Liz awakes in a hotel room on a family trip to find her two young children missing, apparently abducted by her husband Paul, the resulting search shows Liz that much of what she thought was true in their seemingly perfect marriage was actually a lie.



Hand Me Down World by Lloyd Jones
In Jones's heart-wrenching novel, a young woman finds herself pregnant after a brief affair, and then tricked into giving her son away. Her resulting journey to find him, the story of which is told from multiple perspectives, sheds light on the phenomenon of migration and the fragile nature of identity.

Filed under Reading Lists

This article relates to The Stranger on the Train. It first ran in the July 9, 2014 issue of BookBrowse Recommends.