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Laura Hamley is a privileged woman; she's got a good-looking husband, two beautiful children and a nice house in a good suburban neighbourhood. Her friends are the same as her; worried only about fabric colours, shopping and gossip. The price of this stress-free living is that Laura's past must remain hidden, not only from her shallow friends but from her husband too, whose perfect live is a fine balance of work, football and reading his children a night time tale once a week. One day, out of the blue, Laura receives a telephone call from Mrs Partridge, the mother of Heddy Partridge, the girl who bore the brunt of the school playground cruelty when they were children. Laura was the biggest bully of them all, making Heddy's life a daily misery; calling her names, hiding her big white pants after gym class, and much, much worse. These are memories Laura has buried until Mrs Partridge's call asking for Laura's help in getting Heddy out of the mental hospital she's been confined to after attempting suicide while out shopping. Laura's parents were always so good to the Partridge family, Mrs Partridge says, and that's something that Laura has always wondered about, as their families never had anything in common. At first Laura goes to see Mrs Partridge just to get her off the phone. Then she finds herself taking the old woman to the hospital to visit Heddy to stop her from calling and pleading for her help. But as she gets pulled into the Partridge family nightmare, her own perfect life starts to unravel, the fragile, shallow threads pulling loose as her behaviour stops conforming to the accepted norm. She becomes an outcast, unpredictable as she begins to test the moral fibre of her life and finds it lacking. The most notable element of this novel is the way it leads the reader on the exact journey the author wants to take, alongside her main protagonist. Laura's life seems at first idyllic, with nothing more stressful than the imminent end of term celebrations to think about and each day free to spend with her children and lunching with her friends. The shine soon fades, though, as through Laura's memories and present thoughts the reader shares her horror at the girl she used to be and at the woman she's become. The book sees her through her rebellion against her suburban life, her wilful destruction of the fragile, shallow relationships she's built around her and her final showdown with her parents. It's a story of hope and redemption, written with real feeling and heart. § Madeleine Marsh is an aspiring writer who lives in South West England. She helps run sci-fi conventions and loves modern cinema.
Reviewed by Madeleine Marsh, April 2011
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