Dear Child (book)
"Dear Child” is a 2019  psychological thriller novel by German writer Romy Hausmann. The book tells the story of Lena Beck. She was a young woman who was kidnapped. Lena was kept in a cabin without windows for 14 years. When Lena is hit by a car and taken to the hospital, her father arrives and says that she is not his daughter. DNA tests confirm that the two children with her are his biological grandchildren. The novel eventually reveals that Lena’s captor was a man named Lars Rogner who abducted her, locked her in the secluded cabin for years, and forced her to be his wife and birth his children. After welcoming Hannah and Jonathan, Lena gave birth to their third child, but they both passed away shortly afterward. A devastated Lars, who claimed to truly love Lena, kidnapped another woman named Jasmin Grass — the car accident victim — to effectively “replace” Lena and assume her identity. Jasmin adopted the role for four months in captivity in order to survive, but was able to knock Lars unconscious with a snow globe and escape with Hannah. That’s when the car hit her near the house, though, and Lars was able to catch up to Hannah and give her instructions on how they could all be together again in the coming weeks. Despite still grappling with the physical and psychological effects of what she’d experienced, Jasmin convinces the police she’s stable enough to return home. Once back in her apartment, Jasmin realizes the profound psychological toll the abduction had really taken, while remaining fearful of leaving her home and struggling to maintain a grasp on reality.