The Girl Who Was Taken

“When Nicole Cutty found herself in this chasm between life and death, she chose life. And she ran like hell.”

This quote highlights Nicole’s resilience and will to survive despite being trapped in a perilous situation. It underscores her determination and instinct for self-preservation, contrasting her earlier fascination with darkness and demonstrating a pivotal moment where she consciously chooses to fight for her life.

“Nicole ticked off the people she couldn’t ask for help. Her brain worked that way, in the negative. Before deciding who could assist her, she mentally crossed off the people who would do her harm. Her parents were at the top of the list.”

This quote illuminates Nicole’s sense of isolation and mistrust, especially toward her parents, reflecting a fractured family dynamic. It also underscores her methodical and defensive mindset, revealing how her trauma and experiences have shaped her approach to seeking help and navigating her precarious circumstances.

“She needed her sister. Livia was older and smarter. Rational in a way Nicole was not. If Nicole dismissed the last stretch of their lives and ignored the distance between them, she knew she could trust Livia with her life.”

This quote highlights Nicole’s need for familial support and her recognition of Livia’s reliability and rationality, despite the emotional distance that has grown between them. It underscores the lingering bond of trust and dependency Nicole feels toward her sister, suggesting that beneath her turmoil, she still believes in Livia’s capacity to protect and guide her.

“Megan stopped herself from rolling her eyes. She had many adjectives to describe the process that created her book. Therapeutic was not one of them.”

This quote reveals Megan’s cynicism and disillusionment with the process of writing her memoir, challenging the notion that recounting traumatic experiences is inherently healing. It underscores her struggle with unresolved trauma and the complexity of her emotional response to her abduction, suggesting that the act of narrating her ordeal was more exploitative than cathartic.

“Megan smiled with her lips pressed together. It was her new smile, the best she could do and so different from the beaming pictures she saw the other day when she paged through her senior yearbook.”

This quote highlights the impact that Megan’s trauma has had on her, emphasizing how it has altered her ability to express genuine happiness. The juxtaposition between her current constrained smile and the joyful images in her yearbook illustrates her loss of innocence and the enduring effects of her abduction on her sense of self.

“Megan had long since stopped questioning people’s fascinations with her abduction, and the public’s unquenchable thirst for the morbid details of her captivity. And now, their lust for her to proceed as though nothing happened.”

This quote underscores the societal obsession with sensationalized trauma, highlighting the public’s insensitivity to the enduring psychological effects on survivors like Megan. It also criticizes the unrealistic expectation for victims to quickly return to normalcy, ignoring the deep and lasting impact of their experiences.

“When a body comes to me with questions surrounding it, I want to answer those questions for the family with the same care, compassion, and expertise I hope to receive someday from whoever calls me about my sister.”

This quote reveals Livia’s deep empathy and personal connection to her work as a forensic pathologist, driven by her unresolved grief and determination to find answers about her sister. It highlights her commitment to treating each case with the utmost respect and diligence, reflecting her hope for the same dedication when it comes to uncovering the truth about Nicole.

“Let ’em drool.”

This quote, from Nicole’s perspective, is spoken as she lies topless on her friend Rachel’s boat, enjoying the admiring stares of male classmates as they look at her bare breasts. This quote is indicative of her brazen sexuality and the extent to which she uses her body and the male gaze to achieve certain ends.

“That’s all her mother and aunt ever did, ignore things. What else could explain Aunt Paxie’s presence in North Carolina for the past three days without mentioning Julie? Ignore anything long enough, and it will go away. It was her mother’s unspoken motto.”

This quote underscores the denial and avoidance within the Cutty family, highlighting how they cope with trauma and loss by refusing to confront painful realities. The behavior of Nicole’s mother and aunt Paxie illustrates the family’s dysfunctional communication patterns, revealing how their tendency to ignore problems has influenced Nicole’s struggle to process her own traumatic experiences.

“I think about my brother, Joshua. Picture him in some dark place, scared and all alone. It makes me want to cry but I can’t stop thinking about it. Does that make us weird? These thoughts?”

This quote delves into Casey’s inner turmoil and guilt over his brother’s abduction, highlighting his emotional vulnerability. His self-questioning about the normalcy of these thoughts underscores his struggle to cope with trauma, revealing a complex psychological profile marked by suppressed grief and unresolved emotions.

“Nicole Cutty climbed up the ladder and stood on the raft, squeezing water from her hair in no particular rush before bending over to pick up her bikini. From the depths of the lake, the guys helplessly stared.”

This scene encapsulates Nicole’s defiance of societal expectations and norms. The image of her squeezing water from her hair and casually picking up her bikini contrasts with the helplessly staring men, emphasizing her control over her body and sexuality.

“You go through life doing all the things everyone else wants you to do, and you’ll wake up one day realizing your life’s passed you by and you’ve got a list of stuff you’ve never gotten to.”

This quote showcases Mr. Steinman’s advice to Megan and highlights the idea of self-discovery and taking control of one’s life. He urges Megan to prioritize her desires over societal expectations, in contrast with her parents. His words emphasize the importance of personal agency and pursuing one’s passions to avoid the regret of unfulfilled dreams.

“Megan was sure no book, bestseller list, or fantasy about other girls being inspired by her story would be enough to erase the image she held of herself running to safety while Nicole Cutty sat alone in that dreary cellar waiting for the man to come at night.”

This quote from Megan reflects her survivor’s guilt and internal conflict. It illustrates Megan’s struggle to reconcile her escape with Nicole’s continued captivity, emphasizing the emotional weight she carries from the trauma. Megan’s perception of herself as escaping to safety while Nicole remains trapped in a dark cellar highlights the lasting psychological impact of the abduction on her and the complex emotions that survivors often experience.

“But here, with his love, he could play out his wildest fantasies. Here, he could service and please and pamper.”

This quote provides a disturbing insight into the kidnapper’s mindset and his twisted justification for his actions. The use of words like “love” juxtaposed with “wildest fantasies” and “service and please” creates a chilling contrast, revealing the kidnapper’s delusion and detachment from reality. It reflects the perpetrator’s warped perception of control and power, where he sees his abductions as a means to fulfill his desires and exert dominance over his victims.

“He started down the steps to his prize, who he knew would be waiting, shackled to her bed like a good and wanting servant. He had left a bucket and sponge for her to bathe, hoping tonight might be special.”

This quote delves into the kidnapper’s mindset and his distorted view of the victim as a possession or object rather than a person. The use of words like “prize,” “shackled,” and “servant” dehumanizes the victim, emphasizing the kidnapper’s sense of ownership and control. The mention of leaving a bucket and sponge for her to bathe adds a sinister layer, suggesting an attempt at manipulation by offering false comfort in captivity.

“You did great, sweet thing. Welcome to the Capture Club! I knew you’d love it.”

This quote reveals Casey’s manipulative and predatory nature, as he tries to normalize and even glamorize the horrific act of kidnapping Nicole and triggering her trauma. His cheerful and congratulatory manner downplays the severity of the crime and suggests a sense of camaraderie or belonging within this perverse group.

“Gone was the image of Nicole lugging Harry Potter books into her bed, shadowed now by the aura of a girl clad in black, desperate for attention and willing to go to great lengths to find it.”

This quote from Livia’s perspective reflects her realization of the stark contrast in Nicole’s demeanor and behavior before and after her abduction. The allusion to Harry Potter books symbolizes innocence, youthfulness, and a simpler time, contrasting sharply with the darker, attention-seeking persona that emerged post-abduction.

“There was no explanation to his silence that day. No way to explain why he didn’t run for help. He should have found his father. Instead, he allowed the sugar to dissolve in his mouth until the man led Joshua across the gravel and out of sight.”

This quote from Casey’s perspective highlights his guilt and self-blame regarding his brother’s kidnapping. The phrase “There was no explanation to his silence that day” suggests Casey’s regret and inability to rationalize why he didn’t take action. The mention of the sugar dissolving in his mouth serves as a metaphor for his internal struggle and the bitter realization of his failure to act.

“He hated himself for allowing that dark swamp in his mind to define him. Hated when it boiled over and spilled from its banks. Hated it for controlling him. Hated it always. Except for the times he loved it.”

This quote delves into Casey’s internal struggle with his darker impulses. The imagery of the swamp boiling over and spilling from its banks suggests his inability to contain or control these dark thoughts and desires. This internal conflict adds depth to Casey’s character and underscores his inner turmoil and the struggle between light and darkness within himself.

“My parents wanted their daughter back, and I haven’t had the courage to tell them she’s long gone. Haven’t found a way to break it to them that that girl doesn’t exist anymore.”

Megan’s reflection highlights the impact of her trauma, indicating a sense of loss and disconnection from her former self. The imagery of her “long gone” self implies a significant transformation, illustrating how trauma can fundamentally alter one’s identity and sense of self, leaving behind a version that feels unfamiliar or unreachable.

“People know me as the girl from my book, or as the girl from before the abduction. I’m neither anymore.”

This quote, from Megan’s perspective, underscores her struggle with identity and the challenge of reconciling different versions of herself in the eyes of others. Her statement reflects a sense of being caught between past and present identities, highlighting the complexities of trauma and its ongoing impact on personal identity.

“He can’t understand why they don’t love being with him. He can’t understand why they don’t love him the way he loves them.”

This quote from Nate Theros occurs as he helps Livia psychoanalyze Nicole and Megan’s kidnapper. His insightful assessment reveals the kidnapper’s disturbing lack of empathy and a skewed perception of love, where he believes that his victims should reciprocate his affection despite their fear and captivity. His inability to comprehend their emotions underscores his dangerous detachment from reality and his predatory mindset.

“He abandoned that original plan because even more perfect was the opportunity to bring Nicole to his dark and wondrous world. It was a world in which she would thrive, and he needed her there. He had unexpectedly fallen under her spell this summer. She was his perfect match, his exquisite accomplice.”

Casey's reflection reveals a disturbing fascination with power and control, as he views Nicole’s abduction not only as an initiation into his “dark and wondrous world” but also as an opportunity for her to thrive within it. The language of “perfect match” and “exquisite accomplice” underscores his warped perception of their relationship, portraying it as something sinister and manipulative rather than genuine or mutual.