September 29, 2014
This book was another random library find. Here's a method I've been using to select books, since I can't seem to break my habit of taking my chances: I look for books by authors who don't have a lot of other books on the shelf (I am suspicious of most authors who crank out a bunch of books, James Patterson for example), and of course ones that don't have one of the library's "Christian lit" stickers on the spine (yuck). Carlon apparently published several suspense books in her time, but this was her only title on the shelves. I'd almost dub this a "hidden gem"; published in the '60s, apparently Carlon, Australian, never really had a strong fan base in the U.S.
Some of the turns of phrase were a little confusing, and I had trouble imagining accurately Australian accents for the characters. But otherwise, I got into this short, tense story. The title comes originally from Isobel's last words to young Virginia as she locked her in the kitchen. Not for her own safety, even as her ex, seeking vengeance, had just shown up at her doorstep on Christmas Eve, but to keep her little neighbor from hearing the conversation.
The story follows multiple perspectives: Isobel (before she was shot dead); Frank, her ex and murderer who is a scheming, remorseless sociopath; Megan, the lonely shop girl who takes an interest in the little girl waving from the sixth story window; Leigh, a neighbor who is also interested in Virginia and may be a love interest for Megan; Mr. Leaderbee, a sympathetic old man who only wants a little company; Robbins, the bitter and vindictive groundskeeper at the complex; and Margot, a neighbor who wants to make amends with Isobel, who doesn't realize that the pounding heard on their wall during a Christmas Eve party was little Virginia, trying to summon help. And of course the poor kid herself, getting more and more frustrated as her attempts to get help are ignored, or mistaken as a game.
The loneliness of people at Christmas was a theme. It's what drew Megan, Leigh, and Leaderbee together, and what drove them to try to help Virginia. They didn't know the severity of the situation, of course. From what they'd heard of reclusive Isobel, they thought she was an old crank who had locked the kid up as a punishment, and they pitied her to see it done on Christmas. It's interesting that so many people insist that Virginia is a brat. She seems like a normal, even intelligent little girl. If she misbehaves, no wonder; her mother is dead and her father is a workaholic, leaving her in the care of mean housekeepers...or with a neighbor they barely know for the holidays while he goes on a business trip outside of Sydney. I pitied and rooted for the child throughout, and was very glad that she didn't meet the fate that Frank, realizing his blunder at leaving a young witness to his crime, had planned for her.
I was irked by one small detail: that this clever child, who could boil an egg and write simple words, didn't know Australia's version of 911, which is one thing that any American learns pretty young. But with just a little searching, I found that 000 wasn't established until 1969...two years after this book was published. And Virginia didn't have the phone book, just the kitchen line, so that's all believable. Had this book been written only a couple of years later, Virginia's conflict would have had a much simpler solution. Hell, maybe this book had something to do with 000 being created in Australia? Who knows?
Also, if several people were aware that a small child was locked alone in a kitchen these days, it would be viewed as child abuse and cruelty, and they would have tried to have Isobel arrested. Then, of course, they would have found her body and there you go. So the setting is definitely important to keep in mind with this book: 1960s, Sydney.
It's interesting to consider that, even though there are many similarities between the U.S. and Australia, it's still a completely different country on the other end of the world. I'm very glad that I found this book for one, because as I've noted that I haven't read many books by Canadian writers, the same can be said about Australian authors. Of course, the author of one of my favorite books (The Book Thief), Markus Zusak, is Australian. One of his other books is actually set in Australia, I think, so I will definitely want to check out one of his other texts sometime.
I'll also say that this was an entertaining story. The characters were various and interesting, if frustrating (fucking Robbins), and the stories were interesting. Considering the setting, this was a believable mystery. I hope I can locate more texts by Carlon; perhaps the libraries in the area that are larger than the one that I frequent with my nephew will have more of her works.
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