|
[ Home ]
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
The best part of this book was Catriona McPherson's wonderful, lyrical writing that weaves a haunting tale of ruined lives, maniacal revenge and some wonderful characters that made this book very hard to put down. Set in a small town in Scotland, THE CHILD GARDEN offers a sense of place that is magical – with wonderful descriptions of both the geography and the people.
Eden was a hippie school set in the woods in 1985 – with a small class of teen age students who were taught by one teacher. The students hold a sleep-out, and after one of the children mysteriously drowns, the school is shuttered, the teacher disgraced.
Fast forward to 2013 – the school has now become a care home. One of the residents is a fifteen-year-old boy who suffers from a severe genetic disorder. His mother, Gloria, divorced and lonely, visits him daily; she has found a place to live and work nearby, and he is the center of her existence.
On her way home from a visit, she almost literally runs into an old primary school chum who happens to have attended Eden. Steven Tarrant, known by Gloria as Stig of the Dump from his school days, then shows up at her door. He tells Gloria that the death of the Eden student has haunted him for many years and he has been contacted by April, another Eden classmate, who has texted him that she wants to compare notes on the tragedy. The place where they are supposed to meet is near the old school, and Gloria offers to go with him because he has started to wonder if April is some kind of a stalker. April turns up dead, and Stig seems to be the most likely suspect.
Gloria believes that Stig is innocent–relying on her ability to detect lies when she hears the--and sets about to hide him and take steps to some investigating on her own. Yet Gloria has reasons to get involved that are all her own: Gloria's singular focus is on her son and the care home; she is terrified because of her fear that the past tragedy may in some way impact on the continued operation of the home and her son would be forced to move. And her ex-husband and son's father also attended the ill-fated Eden – what role might he have played?
As Gloria and Stig set about to find out what really happened in 1985 and since, they discover that all of the students who were involved had more than their share of bad luck and misfortune. They work together to uncover the solution in a thrilling ending that answers the question of whether it was the devil or a more human agency involved.
A few quibbles: after I finished the book it struck me that not all of the characters were well developed, and some of the plot twists left me scratching my head in disbelief. Yet Catriona McPherson has crafted a work that had me willing to suspend my judgment in favor of being captured within the world she had created.
§ Phyllis Onstad has been a writer, editor, civil servant, teacher and voracious reader. She currently lives in the California wine country.
Reviewed by Phylllis Onstad, September 2015
[ Top ]
QUICK SEARCH:
Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
[ Home ]
| 
