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Do Not Become Alarmed: A Novel Hardcover – June 6, 2017
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“This summer’s undoubtable smash hit… an addictive, heart-palpitating story.” —Marie Claire
The sun is shining, the sea is blue, the children have disappeared.
When Liv and Nora decide to take their husbands and children on a holiday cruise,everyone is thrilled. The adults are lulled by the ship’s comfort and ease. The fourchildren—ages six to eleven—love the nonstop buffet and their newfound independence.But when they all go ashore for an adventure in Central America, a series of minormisfortunes and miscalculations leads the families farther from the safety of the ship. Oneminute the children are there, and the next they’re gone.
The disintegration of the world the families knew—told from the perspectives of both theadults and the children—is both riveting and revealing. The parents, accustomed tosecurity and control, turn on each other and blame themselves, while the seeminglyhelpless children discover resources they never knew they possessed.
Do Not Become Alarmed is a story about the protective force of innocence and the limitsof parental power, and an insightful look at privileged illusions of safety. Celebrated forher spare and moving fiction, Maile Meloy has written a gripping novel about howquickly what we count on can fall away, and the way a crisis shifts our perceptions ofwhat matters most.
- Print length352 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherRiverhead Books
- Publication dateJune 6, 2017
- Dimensions6.25 x 1.2 x 9.31 inches
- ISBN-100735216525
- ISBN-13978-0735216525
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“Meloy is a subtle and sophisticated writer…Meloy pokes around in some profound subject matter…[her] portrait of well-meaning but still ugly Americans resonates.” —New York Times
“[Do Not Become Alarmed has] characters that are fully rendered and original, and writing that is beautifully spare and understated...while feeding us high drama.” —Los Angeles Review of Books
“[Meloy delivers] a wild, propulsive plot with tight prose and a constant current of suspense. It’s a thrilling novel, well constructed and hard to put down, a sharp reminder that the tide can take us anywhere, even when the water looks fine.” —Los Angeles Times
“[For summer reading] I’ll want a book that’s thrilling and artful, a true page-turner that will leave me feeling smart, so I’ll read Maile Meloy’s Do Not Become Alarmed.” —Ann Patchett in The Washington Post
“Meloy reels you into the story with her cool and fluid prose.” —The Christian Science Monitor
“Our advice: Don’t read Maile Meloy’s new adrenaline-driven thriller of class, race, and disappeared children after dark… Do Not Become Alarmed will keep you up all night, compelled by the book’s twisty plot and seductive, tightly wound suspense.” —Elle
“This summer’s undoubtable smash hit… an addictive, heart-palpitating story.” —Marie Claire
“If there is one must-read book this summer, this is it.” —Real Simple
“Seen on pool loungers and beach towels from Nantucket to Santa Monica since the hardcover's debut in June, this thriller has become the page-turner of summer 2017.” —Forbes
“Enthralling and terrifying.” —Town & Country
"Fast-paced [and] engrossing." —People Magazine
“A heart-racing tale.” —O, The Oprah Magazine
“Stressful and yet still sexy, complete with jaw-droppingly beautiful imagery.”–Glamour
“A taut, nervy thriller…Meloy has a keenly intuitive ear for family dynamics, first-world privilege, and all the ways that human nature can adapt to the unthinkable.” —Entertainment Weekly
“A marital reboot becomes a zip line to disaster in Maile Meloy’s holiday cruise-set thriller Do Not Become Alarmed, in which the children’s moral complexity outstrips that of their parents.” —Vogue
"Seen on pool loungers and beach towels since June, this thriller has become the page-turner of summer 2017." –Forbes
“Meloy, whose short stories were the basis of last year’s indie film Certain Women, writes a tense book in her signature sparing prose, and may have the book of the summer on her hands.” —Conde Nast Traveler
“The tension will keep your heart racing with every page, as you become increasingly invested in the uncertain fate of each narrator.” —InStyle
“Glides along with a clarity that’s almost uncanny… readers of Do Not Become Alarmed get Meloy’s warmth and her even-tempered, protean imagination. Her view of human nature is almost Olympian in its refusal to take sides, in the consideration it affords to characters who would be mere bit players in a more conventional work. This novel is a bait and switch in the best possible sense. It promises readers easy-to-identify-with protagonists in a pair of mothers going through a parent’s worst nightmare. Then it presents them with so much more, a richer, broader palette of people to believe in and to understand.” —Slate
“[A] smart, suspenseful page-turner.” —W Magazine
“'Page-turner' would be an understatement.” —Travel & Leisure
“This book is smarter than your average thriller.” —Fodor's
“Nothing pairs better with summer than a suspense that will keep you guessing (especially when it involves a cruise ship). The pulse-inducing unputdownable tale about the disappearance of four children on a family cruise, Do Not Become Alarmed is a powerful suspense that will leave readers asking themselves if family truly keeps us safe.” —Redbook
“This is one of those can’t-stop-turning-the-pages novels, which quickly reveals itself to be something more than a page-turner… [Meloy] writes with breathless tension yet lets her characters breathe; you believe these children and their desperate parents, and find yourself utterly entrenched in their fate.” —Seattle Times
“An original, expansive story that is memorable and vibrant…Throughout all of this propulsive action, Meloy’s ability to write about children and teenagers shines on the page. Their authentic dialogue and observations produce illuminated pockets of insights and innocence amid the escalating chaos.” —San Francisco Chronicle
“[An] intelligent thriller [with] a dramatic high-stakes plot.” —Newsday
“[A] fast-paced thriller.”—Houston Chronicle
“A suspenseful mystery.” —The St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“Ambitious…the deft plotting of this literary thriller unfolds like a journey through a maze in the dark.”–Portland Press Herald
“It features taut prose and timely explorations of privilege, race, and parenthood.” —San Diego Magazine
“Riveting…Meloy’s well-crafted, suspenseful tale…is amplified by issues of class and race.”–Tampa Bay Times
“Rapid and absorbing.”–Harvard Magazine
"[A] well-written, suspenseful story… that makes for an irresistible summer read.” —Deseret News
"In Do Not Become Alarmed, Meloy has harnessed [her] gift for writing from diverse perspectives tenderly and intimately... this novel is a moral reckoning for our time, our culture, and our Cali-king-sized American dream." —Southeast Review
“Do Not Become Alarmed is not only ripe with tension, it’s also a terrific character study.” —Myrtle Beach Online
"[A] relentless new thriller...[Meloy has a] talent for crafting high-tension fiction that compels readers to turn the page." —Paste Magazine
“This is a book you won't be able to resist finishing in one sitting.” —Bustle
“Thrillers are having a moment right now, and Do Not Become Alarmed is at the top of our list... We didn’t know it was possible to be so moved and feel such intense suspense at the same time.” —HelloGiggles
“For thriller fans, the novel by Maile Meloy is the perfect summer pick…so realistic and gripping.” —Catapult
“[A] tale that will have you reading all night long...Meloy ratchets up the suspense until you’ll beg her to tell you what happens. She does, at the end of the book. Don’t skip ahead. You’ll be sorry if you do.”–20somethingreads
“A highly anticipated new book…Though it’s a thriller, it also addresses race, privilege, the uncertainty modern parents feel in raising the ‘perfect’ child, and what it matters most in life.” –NerdHQ
“The plot unfolds with terrifying realism… This writer can apparently do it all—New Yorker stories, children's books, award-winning literary novels, and now, a tautly plotted and culturally savvy emotional thriller. Do not start this book after dinner or you will almost certainly be up all night.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“Ominous, addictive… In crafting this high-stakes page-turner, Meloy excels as a master of suspense.” —Publishers Weekly
“It's Meloy's razor-sharp execution that makes the book unforgettable. Spellbinding, terrifying and keenly observed, this one checks all our boxes for a can't-put-it-down, addictive read.” –BookPage
“A taut, gripping thriller…[an] entertaining examination of privileged, modern families.” —Library Journal
“[A] propulsive drama…infusing literary fiction with criminality and terror in a mode similar to that of Ann Patchett and Hannah Tinti, Meloy compounds the suspense in this gripping and incisive tale by orchestrating a profoundly wrenching shift in perspective, and morality, as well-meaning tourists face the dark realities of a complex place they viewed merely as a playground. Meloy’s commanding, heart-revving, and thought-provoking novel has enormous power and appeal.” —Booklist, starred review
“Meloy’s writing is literary but also page-turnery (my highest compliment), and Do Not Become Alarmed, about a vacation gone awry, promises to be both.” –Parnassus Musing
"Gripping...[Do Not Become Alarmed] is one of those books that you will stay up late to read." –Emma Straub, author of Modern Lovers and The Vacationers on PBS NewsHour
"This is the book that every reader longs for: smart and thrilling and impossible to put down. Read it once at breakneck speed to find out what happens next, and then read it slowly to marvel at the perfect prose and the masterwork of a plot. It is an alarmingly good novel." —Ann Patchett, author of Commonwealth, State of Wonder, and Bel Canto
"Here is that perfect combination of a luminous writer and a big, page-turning story. This hugely suspenseful novel will speak to anyone who has ever felt responsible for keeping a loved one safe, whether it was a child, a partner, a parent, or a friend. Meloy's characters—the adults and the children—feel to me like real, living people I'll never forget." —Helen Fielding, author of Bridget Jones's Diary
About the Author
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Chapter 7.
The kids were engrossed in a complicated game with the three inner tubes, making a kind of raft that they could stand on. It required a great deal of concentration. Hector was the master of the
game, and he kept everyone involved. He didn’t leave Sebastian and June out, or cut them any slack just because they were little. Penny admired that in him.
He tossed his wet hair off his face. If Hector had been in a band, Penny’s friends would have fainted over him. And he could be in a band. He played guitar that well.
He was good at building a structure, too, like her father was. He gave directions, saying, “Hold there. Now, Penny, you sit there. Okay, now you can stand up there. Now Penny, too.” He kept the whole three-ring raft stable. She loved hearing him say her name. His stomach was tan and slick above his pink-and-green checked shorts.
Every few minutes, someone would slip or step in the wrong place and everyone would go crashing into the water, screaming with delight, the inner tubes flying. Hector would make sure everyone was safe and afloat, and then they would start rebuilding.
They were so focused that they didn’t notice when the tide changed. It must have paused when they were first in the water. Then it reversed, and began to flow inland. No one noticed that the water from the sea was pushing them upstream, slowly at first, and then with surprising force.
When they finally looked up, waterlogged, each with an arm slung over a tube and legs treading the silty water, they were in a different place. There was no beach. There were no mothers on towels. The river was starting to narrow. It was overhung with trees.
Penny squinted against the sun. She was hanging on to an inner tube with Isabel, and had one arm over the smaller tube June and Sebastian were on. Her fingertips were pruned. She felt her little brother’s arm slide against hers. Hector and Marcus were on the third tube. Birds sang, and insects buzzed in the trees, but there were no human sounds.
“What do we do?” she asked.
They all looked to Hector, their leader. He frowned. Then he said, “We hold on and kick back.” He rolled his long body over and started to kick.
They tried, all six of them, to propel themselves back toward the beach. But it was pointless, the tidal current was too strong. The little ones spluttered, water in their faces.
“Stop!” Hector commanded.
The song of insects and birds returned. On they floated, with the muscle of the river.
“Will they come find us?” Sebastian asked, in a small voice.
“Of course they will,” Penny said. And really, what was keeping them? The jungle on the bank looked impenetrable, but their mothers would find a way.
“Should we shout?” Marcus asked.
Together they cried, “Mom,” “Mommy,” “Mami,” in one shrill, beseeching voice. Then they stopped, as if with the swipe of a conductor’s wand, and waited in the silence. There was no response. The river swirled around them.
“I have to pee,” June said.
“Just go in the water,” her brother said.
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“I just can’t. What about those fish that swim up the pee, inside you?”
“That’s in the Amazon,” Marcus said.
“Why couldn’t they be here?” June asked.
“Because the Amazon doesn’t connect to here,” he said.
Penny already had peed, and hoped those fish really weren’t in the water. On the left bank, there was a tiny sloping place. They all kicked to it and clambered out.
It felt good to be on solid ground. As soon as they stood up, it seemed clear that they should wait here, rather than traveling ever farther away from their mothers. It had been smart to get out.
Penny helped June find a place to peel down her wet bathing suit, behind a tree. The trees were like something out of fairy tales: thick, twisted, hung with vines. June peed into the damp ground, looking up.
“Are you scared, Penny?” she asked.
“No,” Penny lied.
“Because they’re going to find us?”
“Yes,” Penny said. She helped June pull up her swimsuit straps and felt very grown-up. Isabel might be the oldest girl, but Penny was the one June knew and trusted. Her mother had told her to keep an eye on Sebastian and she had, but she hadn’t known this would happen.
“I’m hungry,” June said.
“We can go back to the buffet on the ship,” Penny said. “When they find us.”
They rejoined the group, and Hector announced, “I’m going to swim back.”
“You can’t swim against the river,” Marcus said.
“I can,” he said. “If I stay to the sides. Where the water goes the other direction.”
Penny had been whitewater rafting with her grandparents. “You mean in the eddies,” she said.
Isabel said something protesting.
“I’ll come back for you,” Hector said. He waded out, lowered his body in near the bank, and started swimming. He was very strong. His arms slashed through the water. They watched in silence as he disappeared around a bend. Then they were alone.
“We should be on the other side of the river,” Marcus said.
“We can’t get up that bank,” Penny said.
They studied the other side of the river and the steep mud bank. And then the bank moved. At least it seemed to move. There were tangled roots, and a section of the mottled mud was sliding.
“Oh!” Penny said.
Isabel said something under her breath.
It was not mud sliding, but an enormous crocodile, sunning itself on the bank. It had moved its big sinister head, split by a row of teeth, but now it settled again, motionless.
Isabel put a hand over her mouth.
“Hector will be okay,” Marcus said.
Sebastian and June weren’t paying attention. They had started making a small mud castle in the soft ground. No one said anything more to alarm them. Penny imagined her mother picking her way through the trees on the opposite bank and coming across that monster. They had to get back before that happened. But there was no reason crocodiles wouldn’t be on this side of the river, too. Penny stepped backward. She wanted to get away from the water, away from the muddy banks.
Isabel put a hand over her mouth.
“Hector will be okay,” Marcus said.
Sebastian and June weren’t paying attention. They had started making a small mud castle in the soft ground. No one said anything more to alarm them. Penny imagined her mother picking her way through the trees on the opposite bank and coming across that monster. They had to get back before that happened. But there was no reason crocodiles wouldn’t be on this side of the river, too. Penny stepped backward. She wanted to get away from the water, away from the muddy banks.
In the trees behind them, they heard an engine noise, and turned.
“There’s a road!” Penny said. She started toward it.
“We have to stay here,” Isabel said. “And wait for Hector.”
“We should find the road,” Penny said.
They looked at each other. A battle of wills. Penny had read the phrase in books and knew that this was what it meant. Isabel was older. But Penny was smarter. She could not say in front of the little ones that they might be eaten by a crocodile if they stayed here, but she beamed the argument into Isabel’s eyes.
“I’m hungry,” Sebastian said.
“Me too,” June said.
Penny thought of how her mother would panic when she saw they were gone. Sebastian needed food or his blood sugar would drop, but he also needed insulin or his blood sugar might go too high. And he didn’t have his pump.
Marcus said they should hang the inner tubes on a branch, to show where they had left the river. Isabel clearly wasn’t happy about the plan, but she didn’t want to stay alone, so the five of them set off into the dense forest. The crocodile on the other bank hadn’t moved again. Hector would be fine, Penny told herself.
There was no trail, and it was painful, climbing barefoot over roots and fallen trees. Beneath the undergrowth, things scuttled away. Penny saw ants marching in a column, carrying green pieces of leaves over their heads like sails. She took Sebastian’s hand, a thing he would not usually tolerate.
They stumbled out into a clearing, where a Jeep was parked. Two men sat on the ground drinking bottles of Coke. They stared as if the children were fairies, materialized from the woods.
“Say something Spanish,” Penny whispered to Isabel.
“No,” Isabel whispered back.
“Hola!” Penny called.
The men just stared. There were two shovels on the ground and their clothes were dirty.
“Can I have a Coke?” Sebastian whispered to Penny.
The door of the Jeep opened, and a woman got out. She had strong brown arms, and she wore a beige tank top and cargo pants. Penny thought she looked like the girl action figure that goes with the toy Jeep. The woman asked them a question in too-fast Spanish.
Isabel didn’t answer.
Penny said, “We’re Americans.” That seemed important to say.
“How long you stand here?” the woman asked in English.
“We just got here,” Penny said. “We walked from the river.”
“Why?”
“We were looking for a road.”
“Is no road,” the woman said.
“We heard an engine,” Penny said, looking pointedly at the Jeep.
“Where are your parents?”
“At the big beach, down the river,” Penny said. “We came from the ship, a big cruise ship, but then we had a car accident. We were swimming. Mi hermano es diabético.” She’d been taught that sentence before they left, for emergencies.
Sebastian leaned into her. “Can I have a Coke?” he asked, louder than before.
The woman in the tank top frowned, then reached into the Jeep, brought out a bottle, and twisted off the top. Sebastian ran forward to grab it, then ran back to Penny’s side and drank. She wished her mother were here. If Sebastian was low, the Coke would be good, but if he was high, it could make him feel worse.
“Will you give us a ride?” Penny asked.
They were not supposed to get in cars with strangers, but there were five of them. And they were asking for a ride. That seemed to make it safer. And the driver was a woman. You were supposed to ask a woman for help, if you got in trouble. Preferably a mother, but this was who they had. And maybe she was a mother. Although Penny doubted it.
“Okay,” the woman said, waving toward the Jeep.
Penny and Sebastian got in front together. The Jeep had an open top. Isabel looked toward the river and seemed like she might run, then got in the back seat with Marcus and June. The two men with the shovels crouched in the cargo area behind them. The woman reversed the Jeep.
Penny pulled the seatbelt over Sebastian’s bare chest and buckled it over herself, too. “Are you okay?” she asked him.
“I’m a little sleepy.”
“You should stay awake.”
“Okay.”
His blond hair was limp and damp on his forehead. Penny pushed it off his face.
“I have to poop,” June said, in the back seat.
“Hold it,” her brother said.
Penny looked back and saw June with her hands clamped on the crotch of her blue swimsuit, Marcus looking anxious beside her.
When she looked out the windshield again, they didn’t seem to be going in the right direction. “We’re going back to that beach, right?” Penny asked.
The woman nodded.
“I don’t think this is the right way.”
“We call them,” the woman said.
“But their cell phones don’t work here.”
“We call the ship.”
“But they aren’t at the ship.”
The Jeep was driving down a paved road among trees, just like the one where the tire had blown up. That seemed like a long time ago now. Would her mother have gone back to the ship?
“I really have to poop,” June said.
“Keep holding it,” her brother said.
“I am!”
The Jeep stopped at a place where another road crossed, and the two men hopped out of the back, leaving the shovels. The woman waved to them. Then the Jeep was climbing a mountain, and a few houses appeared on the side of the road. The road wound and twisted and then a man on a tall white horse was riding toward them. The Jeep slowed. Penny thought she might be imagining the horse, it was so white and bright. But then June whispered, “He’s beautiful,” and Penny knew that the others could see it, too.
The Jeep stopped, and the man on the horse looked down at them. He had dark, frowning eyebrows, and he spoke with the woman in Spanish. It was all too fast to understand. Penny looked to Isabel in the back seat for a translation, but Isabel ducked her chin toward her yellow bikini as if trying not to be seen.
The horse snorted. It had soft nostrils, gray and pink. The man on the horse smiled. His teeth were white and straight. “Welcome,” he said.
“We need insulin,” Penny told him. She felt blinded by embarrassment and confusion, the heat rising to her face. “Insulina. My brother is diabético. Also we need a bathroom.”
“I have to poop!” June said.
“Pues, vámonos,” the man said, turning the horse with the reins, and the Jeep started up the mountain again.
Product details
- Publisher : Riverhead Books; 1st edition, 1st printing (June 6, 2017)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 352 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0735216525
- ISBN-13 : 978-0735216525
- Item Weight : 1.2 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.25 x 1.2 x 9.31 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,725,779 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #14,470 in Coming of Age Fiction (Books)
- #22,299 in Family Life Fiction (Books)
- #73,953 in Literary Fiction (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

MAILE MELOY is the author of three novels, two story collections, a middle-grade trilogy, and a picture book. Her fiction has also appeared in The New Yorker, The Paris Review and Best American Short Stories, and on Selected Shorts and This American Life. She has received The Paris Review’s Aga Khan Prize for Fiction, the PEN/Malamud Award, the American Academy of Arts and Letters’ Rosenthal Foundation Award, and a Guggenheim Fellowship.
Customer reviews
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book engrossing and enjoyable. They praise the writing quality as well-written and intelligent. Many describe it as a page-turner, with riveting moments. However, some readers feel the child rape scene is unnecessary and frightening. Opinions are mixed on the story quality, character development, and pacing. Some find the concept suspenseful and gripping, while others think the plot is overly dramatic.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers enjoy the book's readability. They find it engaging and easy to follow, making it suitable for relaxing trips like beach trips or long flights. The book is described as an ideal novel that is worth the effort.
"...Relationships fracture and realign. Its an engrossing read...." Read more
"The book was fine. Not great; not bad. I typically like multiple perspective storytelling, but this was a little disjointed...." Read more
"I really enjoyed this book. It caught my attention and made me want to know more. For that it definitely deserves four stars...." Read more
"...Yeah, it's that good. Meloy is a talented writer and I want more! Fortunately, she has a few previous books so do not become alarmed...." Read more
Customers enjoy the writing quality of the book. They find it well-written, easy to read, and engaging. The author uses clever language and insightful insights without being overt. They appreciate how the story accurately incorporates Spanish phrases and other cultural references. Overall, readers find the story relatable and enjoyable.
"...The writing is direct and at first you are a bit put off by the glib existence of the two American families as they seem to have everything they..." Read more
"...This is all paired with gorgeous writing, fully-fleshed out characters that feel as real as a documentary, and a believable plot about kidnapped..." Read more
"...Liars and Saints and Both Ways Is The Only Way I want It were beautifully written. Poignant storytelling. This book was nothing like those...." Read more
"...parts were a bit obvious & overly dramatic and the writing was not particularly sophisticated, but the story moves along smoothly and the characters..." Read more
Customers enjoyed the book. They found the story engaging and a page-turner that kept them turning the pages.
"Despite a certain level of disbelief, I found this book riveting...." Read more
"Page turner ! I couldn't put this book down. You usually don't read books about a missing person from their point of view...." Read more
"I enjoyed the book & it was a page-turner BUT after reading the author's previous work, I guess I expected more...." Read more
"This story came alive with every page! What parent could not identify with one parent or the other!..." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the story quality. Some enjoyed the story concept, found it suspenseful, gripping, and poignant storytelling. Others felt the plot was overly dramatic, hard to believe, and fell apart at the end.
"...Its a different type of family adventure story, not so much a thriller as a fairly realistic nightmare for all involved." Read more
"...They have a great story and then the end is left clumsily thrown together and unfinished...." Read more
"...with gorgeous writing, fully-fleshed out characters that feel as real as a documentary, and a believable plot about kidnapped children and parents..." Read more
"...The author has a firm grip on her story, her characters and her language. The story -- filled with subtlety and suspense...." Read more
Customers have different views on the character development. Some find the characters well-developed in a short time, while others find them unlikable, lacking emotion, and one-dimensional. The author seems too busy describing the characters instead of focusing on them enough to make them engaging.
"Most of the characters were unlikeable. Two families with 2 kids a piece go on a cruise, befriend another family with 2 kids...." Read more
"...This is all paired with gorgeous writing, fully-fleshed out characters that feel as real as a documentary, and a believable plot about kidnapped..." Read more
"...I found one of the characters annoying and unsympathetic...." Read more
"...Some of the characters were either too good too bad. The fate of the characters were a little too predictable...." Read more
Customers have different views on the pacing of the book. Some find it fast-paced and relatable for parents, while others mention it starts slowly and the writing seems stilted. The pacing dies down towards the end, with some finding the characters unlikable and unrealistic. Overall, opinions are mixed on the storytelling and pacing.
"...The reading moved very quickly as the Chapters were very short...." Read more
"...Relationships fracture and realign. Its an engrossing read...." Read more
"...I devoured this fast-paced, and exciting novel in 2 days but could have done it in one sitting. Yeah, it's that good...." Read more
"...A great and fast choice." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the development of the book. Some find it well-crafted and clever, with a believable plot. Others feel the characters are immature, unrelatable, and unrealistic.
"...The children are ill equipped physically or emotionally to confront their dilemma of returning to their parents...." Read more
"...great thing about her is that you always feel you're in confident, capable hands. This latest page turner is no exception. I recommend it strongly." Read more
"...Characters seemed real enough in their behaviors, but not well fleshed out & I didn't care enough about them to want a whole lot more...." Read more
"...I found it suspenseful and the characters were interesting and well developed, especially the children...." Read more
Customers dislike the rape scene. They find it unnecessary and mention sexual innuendos. The children experience fear and frightening experiences on their way back to life.
"...even between the kids are obviously affected and rooted in fear and resentment. This is certainly a nightmare. ...." Read more
"...from start to finish with little adult momentum - aside from sexual sensationalism to try to make it so again failing to address the complexities..." Read more
"...It wasn’t necessarily scary, but it was heart wrenching and had me wondering. Overall, a very good read. I will look for more from this author." Read more
"...There were sexual innuendoes all along the way – until a married mother of kids, who were playing some yards away on the beach, actually had..." Read more
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- Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2017A different type of fictional "family" story. I enjoyed this book because it was different from the usual dysfunctional family drama. As others have discussed it involves three families with children on a South American cruise. The writing is direct and at first you are a bit put off by the glib existence of the two American families as they seem to have everything they would ever need but unaware of how fortunate they are. They meet an Argentina family of similar economic ends and become shipboard friends. Misfortune arrives when the six children drift down a jungle river and disappear during an off ship day trip. The children are ill equipped physically or emotionally to confront their dilemma of returning to their parents. The parents are ill equipped to face the possible loss of their children. Relationships fracture and realign. Its an engrossing read.
I happened to hear Ms Meloy talk about writing this book at a book signing. She pointed out that she was fascinated by trying to present a tale where children were in peril and wanted to explore how the children would react. I think she did a wonderful job portraying their fear as well as their need to be supportive of each other. They are not just lost in the jungle, other characters enter to cause them harm. The children range in age from six to sixteen so there were many levels of concern. The parents come off a bit self-involved but one definitely feels their fear of possible loss. Its a different type of family adventure story, not so much a thriller as a fairly realistic nightmare for all involved.
- Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2019I came into Do Not Become Alarmed with the idea that I was probably about to read a thriller - and it is that, sort of. But the thrills are secondary to a gripping family drama with a smart, serious message about privilege and the philosophical comforts we take for granted as Americans. This is all paired with gorgeous writing, fully-fleshed out characters that feel as real as a documentary, and a believable plot about kidnapped children and parents unable to do anything but sit and wait. Highly recommended.
- Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2018The book was fine. Not great; not bad. I typically like multiple perspective storytelling, but this was a little disjointed. Characters seemed real enough in their behaviors, but not well fleshed out & I didn't care enough about them to want a whole lot more. Pretty fast read. Characters mostly ended in a realistic place. My whole book club is moms, and we expected to be a little more 'edge of our seat' thinking about bad things happening to kids. It did generate some good discussion about how people cope in crises.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2017I really enjoyed this book. It caught my attention and made me want to know more. For that it definitely deserves four stars. Where it lost a star is the end. This seems to happen a lot with authors. They have a great story and then the end is left clumsily thrown together and unfinished. If you introduce characters into the story you need to at least finish their stories...
I don't want to add spoilers but they have third person stories for each character but she didn't finish some of them and for that I am disappointed.
- Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2017To me, this excellent book is about being on the edge. It certainly keeps you on the edge of your seat — effortlessly, and throughout almost all of its length — but that’s not really the edge I mean. The book puts us on the (sometimes literally) bleeding edge between cultures, races, countries, languages, generations -- even species. To say nothing of the jagged edge between the truth and the lies we tell -- to ourselves and others -- to stay sane. The author has a firm grip on her story, her characters and her language. The story -- filled with subtlety and suspense. The characters -- rich and varied, as the point of view constantly switches and you find yourself experiencing a complex story through wildly divergent sets of eyes. The language -- simple but colorful and evocative. I've read most of Maile Meloy's books, including her middle grade novels (which my kids and I loved), and the great thing about her is that you always feel you're in confident, capable hands. This latest page turner is no exception. I recommend it strongly.
- Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2017I really enjoyed Meloy's earlier books. Liars and Saints and Both Ways Is The Only Way I want It were beautifully written. Poignant storytelling. This book was nothing like those. The married couples at the center of the story were almost cartoonist affluent. The biracial couple......the obligatory digs about being the difficulties of being a black man (a movie star in this case) in the US were annoying and transparent. This novel was subtly, yet unmistakably anti American in tone. Here is a quote "He and his family escaped, leaving chaos behind them. It was the American way.". The tale itself was unbelievable . Surprised, since this author is so much better than this.
- Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2018Most of the characters were unlikeable.
Two families with 2 kids a piece go on a cruise, befriend another family with 2 kids. During an excursion gone horribly wrong all 6 kids disappear from their mothers’ sight. The choices each of the parents and children make up to and after the disappearance tell the story of what ifs. The interrelationships between the family members, spouses and outsiders, even between the kids are obviously affected and rooted in fear and resentment. This is certainly a nightmare. .
It took me a bit of time to get into but once the story started moving I was hooked: I needed to know how it was going to play out. The reading moved very quickly as the Chapters were very short. Not recommended while reading on vacation, most specifically a cruise, other than that you should be good.
This is one I would not purchase, but borrow from the library or friend. If you felt otherwise, or agreed, let me know!
Top reviews from other countries
- cathyReviewed in Canada on October 25, 2018
4.0 out of 5 stars Whow
What a horror. Little unbelievable but who knows. Story is fast paced and characters are flawed but likeable...enjoy the read
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B. HochgreveReviewed in Germany on September 24, 2018
5.0 out of 5 stars Insgesamt empfehlenswert.
Ich habe den Roman auch unter diesem Titel, also in Englisch, gelesen. Ich mag diese Art zu schreiben. Der Inhalt ist natürlich Geschmacksache, ich fand es spannend bis zum Ende und auch stellenweise erschütternd. Das Ende mag trivial wirken, zeigt aber auch, wie das Leben nach schwierigen Situationen einfach weitergeht. Ich lese gerade ein früheres Werk dieser Autorin, AFamilyDaughter, was aber nicht sehr spannend ist aber auch lesbar.
- David HReviewed in Canada on July 3, 2017
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing book. I didn't want it to end.
Wow. I had to pace myself reading this book because I didn't want to finish it in a day. Every word carries so much meaning, and every twist and turn in the story adds another layer to this impressive work.
When's the next one coming?
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Anne WitzlebenReviewed in Germany on October 29, 2018
1.0 out of 5 stars Konstruierte, verwirrende Geschichte
Die ganze Handlung ist eher abwegig und wenig überzeugend. Ich fand die Handlung mit den verschiedenen Ebenen ziemlich an den Haaren herbeigezogen.
- Harriet SteelReviewed in the United Kingdom on July 25, 2017
3.0 out of 5 stars Kidnappers, crocodiles and drug cartels
Three couples on a luxury Christmas cruise with their respective children are terrified when the children disappear, swept away from a beach by powerful tides while on a shore excursion. As the story progresses, we learn about the couples and their relationships, understandably strained by the awful predicament they find themselves in. The children, meanwhile, come up against a gang of drug dealers in the jungle and are kidnapped. Their escape with a young man and his niece who are trying to get to America produces some of the best scenes in the book.
This thriller set in Central America (most likely Costa Rica) was an enjoyable read although it started slowly. There are a lot of characters and and it took a while for them to come to life, with the result that I was, for a while, tempted to give up but it was worth persevering. The characters of the children and the drug dealers were, to me, ultimately the most successful. The fact that there was some reflection on the contrast between the privileged tourists and the poverty and lack of advantage in the country they were visiting gave more depth to the story. Three stars but if it were possible, I would give 3.5.