A Drowned Maiden’s Hair by Laura Amy Schlitz review by Lynda Waterhouse

On the surface this novel is a classic gothic melodrama about an orphan child, Maud, who is adopted by the three elderly Hawthorne  sisters and promised a life filled with  happiness, pretty dresses and endless books but instead finds herself becoming a ‘secret child’ forced to take part in fake séances for the rich and heartbroken.

Maud is so beguiled by Hyacinth and the attention and ‘love’ which she gives to her that she is prepared to go along with their plans. After all she has never been the good or the pretty girl. There is a moving scene when her older brother comes to see her and we discover that she was left behind at the orphanage whilst he and her pretty younger sister were adopted by the same family,

‘Hyacinth Hawthorne- she’s the one who chose me – she wanted me. ‘She threw the word at him as if it could knock him flat.

They move to Cape Calypso to reel in the wealthy Mrs Lambert who has lost her daughter Caroline who drowned. It is a stifling existence being hidden away in the cottage with only Muffet, the deaf and mute servant for company. Their friendship develops as Maud begins to teach Muffet how to read and in doing so discovers her deep intelligence. Maud also realises how callously Hyacinth treats Muffet.

Maud takes nightly walks on the beach and rides on the carousel run by the fearsome Rory Hugelick. She meets Mrs Lambert and comes to know and like her. She begins to understand the guilt and pain that she feels, and feels a prickle of conscience as she starts to dream about Caroline.

The event of the séance and its aftermath are truly shocking as Maud discovers who values her life and who does not care if she lives or dies.

The novel is beautifully written in a fast-paced clear prose that has warmth, humour and an unlaboured lyrical quality. The characters are all three dimensional and have a moral ambiguity. There are reasons why people behave the way they do. There are characters who are kind and decent such as Rory and Mrs Lambert but you have to look beyond the surface. As my mother would say ‘handsome is as handsome does.’

This is a great read with psychological depth and one of the best depictions of grooming of a vulnerable child that I have read.

IBSN 978-1-4063-5416-4

Walker Books

Return to REVIEWS HOMEPAGE

Anything That Isn't This by Chris Priestley review by Dawn Finch

First the blurb...

Seventeen-year-old Frank Palp lives in a grim little apartment, in a grim little building, in an exceedingly grim city. This is a city full of contradictions, and Frank is no exception. He mostly hates his life, he definitely hates the ludicrous city he is forced to live in and he absolutely with complete certainty hates the idiots he's surrounded by . . . and yet he is in love. A love so pure and sparkling and colourful, Frank feels sure it is 'meant to be'. His love is a reward for all the terrible grey that he is surrounded by - which would be great, if the girl in question knew he existed. And then one day, the perfect sign lands in his lap. A message, in a bottle. A wish, for 'anything that isn't this'. The girl who wrote this is surely his soulmate - and now he just needs to find her.

Frank is as grim as the city in which he lives and is a rather pretentious self-obsessed teenager. (That sounds terrible - stick with me....) He lives under the cold grip of The Grey which he feels sucks the colour and life out of the world. He grumpily blunders through his life feeling that he has no choice, no control and no options. He hates everyone, and the people around him are gradually losing patience with him as his life is slipping past. Then he finds those glorious words that someone else wishes for "anything that isn't this" and he sees a glimmer of light at the end of the Grey tunnel.

This book is, quite frankly (no pun intended) one of the best books I've read this year. The tale of Frank, his life and his family is curiously compelling and the book is impossible to put down. I was reminded of classics such as Peake's Gormenghast, and even Walpole's Castle of Otranto, such is the detail of the Castle and the City that dominates Frank's life.

The book is visually stunning too as the text is supported by Priestley's own illustrations. These inky images drive home the chilling and suffocating atmosphere of Frank's world and provide more than just support to the text. They are an important element in the delivery of the story and I'd love to see more of them. In fact this would make an extraordinary graphic novel or animation, and I very much hope that someone is considering doing just that.

I have read all of Priestley's books, and I feel that this is his finest work to date. I am very envious of its effortless flow, cool style and Gothic elegance. In fact I only have one complaint - Chris, don't introduce me to something as completely fabulous as invisible lizards and then only give me a little bit! More lizards please.

Anything That Isn't This is published by Hot Key Books 

• ISBN-10: 1471404641

Reviewed by Dawn Finch

YA author, librarian (President of CILIP) and CWIG committee member

@dawnafinch

www.dawnfinch.com

Return to REVIEWS HOMEPAGE