The Quietness, by Alison Rattle: published by Hot Key Books, reviewed by Sue Purkiss

The Quietness centres round two girls, Queenie and Ellen. They year is 1870, and they are both living in London, but other than that they have very little in common, and at the beginning of the book it's not obvious how their lives, one lived in poverty and the other in upper middle-class comfort, can ever intermesh. One longs for quiet: the other has too much of it.

Neither of them is happy. Queenie is sick and tired of the hardships of her life. Her father disappears for a while, leaving her mother to earn some money to keep her children in the only way left to her. When a man comes to their room seeking the mother, and instead seeks to make do with Queenie, it's the final straw, and she decides to leave. She comes across a job with a pair of sisters. They take in babies, it seems, and part of Queenie's job is to help look after the little ones. It's a strangely easy job; the babies never cry and are asleep most of the time - helped by the doctored feed they are given, and by a medicine called The Quietness. From time to time one of the babies disappears - to be taken to a new home in the countryside, so the sisters say. Queenie is happy; she's able to save some money, even to buy herself an unheard of pair of new boots. So when she hears that dead babies have been found, wrapped in brown paper, she works hard to convince herself that they can be nothing to do with the sisters, nothing to do with her...

Meanwhile, not so very far away, Ellen is materially well-cared for, with beautiful dresses and jewels and a comfortable home. Her father is a doctor, but he is strangely cold - her mother even more so. So when a handsome cousin, Jacob, comes to stay, Ellen is only too ready to fall for his sweet words and flattery. But it turns out that he is not what he seems. Ellen falls victim to all of them. In her deepest despair, the only person who is kind to her is Queenie.

We all know from Dickens and others how terrible urban poverty was in Victorian times, and this book paints an unflinching picture of its horrors. The stories of Ellen and Queenie also reveal the hypocrisy of the wealthier classes, and the complete dependence of women from the wealthier classes on their menfolk. Their stories are terrible, and the ending is not an easy one, but the book is passionate and richly-coloured, with two central characters who will not easily be forgotten.

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THE QUIETNESS by Alison Rattle - reviewed by Dawn McNiff

THE QUIETNESS  by Alison Rattle

Reviewed by Dawn McNiff

An historical YA novel, published by Hot Key Books in 2013.

This grippingly-told story is set in Victorian London in 1870, and like Jamila Gavin's Coram Boy, its subject is harrowing and shocking - the underground, murderous baby-trading of centuries past.

So unsurprisingly, there are some pretty adult themes in this book - prostitution, child-birth and infanticide. It's full-on, but without being graphic. An affecting but unsentimental depiction of life back then.

And the novel is all the more compelling because it's based on a true story. Alison was inspired by an actual court record taken at the trial of two 19th century baby-killers. Here she came across a first-person account by the accused women's 15 year old assistant, and this became the voice of Queenie, one of book's main characters.

So the novel is a troubling read at times. A scene when a newborn is taken from its mother against her will made me go cold and goose-bumpy - you really feel the girl's wild, desperate panic. Ugh, so chilling. Such misery. But VERY well-done.

The story told from perspective of two teen girls - Ellen and Queenie - as dual narrators in alternate chapters. I think this works very well to keep the reader guessing until the stories finally converge. I did see a few of the twists and turns coming, but not many (and definitely not the ending) And I didn't get into the book straight away, but before long I was whipping through the pages, hungry for the story.

There are some well-used, story motifs in this novel - rich girl/poor girl; reversal of fortunes; characters unknowingly sharing a secret past. But Alison's direct, unblinking style, vivid scene-setting, and compelling voices means the novel feels fresh.

And it leaves us with some serious questions - about the responsibility of minors and by-standers. I think it's a clever study of denial, and also shows us how extreme adversity can sit us on the sharp point of difficult, moral choices.

But there is a dose of hope too, and some happier themes- family loyalty, forgiveness, friendship and transcending love.

It is in essence a story about women - and their struggles and deep bonds. The men in the book don't get great press. They are nearly all cruel, self-serving and manipulative. The best of the bunch are Queenie's brother, who's a decent sort, if only briefly sketched at the end; and Queenie's father, who is flaky in the extreme, but affable and big-hearted.

And the ending?... Well, I threw myself back on my pillow with a wail...it's not a happy-ever-after for everyone.

This is Alison's debut as a YA author, and I say - hats off and hurrah. Looking forward to many more.

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