10 May 2012.
ISBN: 978-1-4472-0844-0 (TPB)
Callie and Suzy are neighbours in an affluent,
respectable London suburb. They have been 'best friends' for the last two
years, ever since Callie helped Suzy when her twin boys were born prematurely.
Callie has a daughter, five-year-old Rae, who is the same class as Suzy's
eldest son. In many ways the two friends' lives are very different.
Suzy is an American, married to an Englishman; she has chosen to be a
stay-at-home mum and has a beautiful home, three healthy children and a husband
who is a successful businessman. Callie is a single mother, living from
hand-to-mouth, in a run-down, rented flat. She was forced to give up her
job as a sound designer because Rae was born with heart trouble and, although
her health is much improved after an operation, she still needs vigilance and
extra care. One thing the two friends do have in common is that they are
both tied to selfish, insensitive men. Jez, Suzy's husband, is
self-absorbed and, even while working from home, he is emotionally and mentally
withdrawn. Tom, Callie's ex, gives little emotional, financial or
physical support and spends a lot of time working abroad. However he
considers he has the right to criticise Callie's care and parenting of Rae, not
to mention discussing such private things with his new, successful,
unencumbered girlfriend.
Callie has been saddened by the unfriendly attitude of other neighbours and the
parents at Rae's school, which has added to her low self-esteem. Suzy
tells her that she is refusing invitations from people who are too snobbish to
befriend Callie. Callie is grateful but she feels increasingly smothered
by the closeness of their friendship. When Debs, middle-aged, dowdy and
shy, moves into the street, Callie makes overtures of friendship. Debs is
a former teacher now working at the school's After School Club, but she has
dark secrets in her past and it seems possible she is not as mild and harmless
as she seems. Despite opposition from everyone but Rae, Callie goes back
to work, but finds juggling a job and the needs of a frail child even harder
than she anticipated. On Callie's third day back at work, Rae has an
accident and is injured while coming home in Debs' care. But did Rae fall
into the road or was she pushed? Suzy raises doubts about Debs' mental
condition. Callie is desperate to keep her child safe but the damage has
already been done and Rae has been exposed to further danger.
The style of this book is interesting. Separate chapters are written in
the viewpoints of the three women, but Suzy and Debs are written in the 3rd
Person, Callie is written in the 1st Person. It is very much Callie's
book and also little Rae's. I found the depiction of the disempowerment
and isolation that comes with having a sick or disabled child very convincing,
as was the sadness and fear of loss that lingers even when the imminent health
problem is past. Lack of confidence in her own instincts leads Callie to trust
the wrong person with terrifying results, but the writer evokes sympathy for
her and creates a compelling page-turner with a breathtaking climax. ----
Reviewer: Carol Westron
Louise Millar was brought up in Scotland. She began her journalism career in mainly music and film magazines, working as a sub-editor for Kerrang!, Smash Hits, the NME and Empire. She later moved into features, working as a commissioning editor on women's magazines. She has written for Marie Claire, Red, Psychologies, Stella (Telegraph magazine), the Independent, the Observer, Glamour, Stylist and Eve. She lives in London with her husband and daughters.
https://promotingcrime.blogspot.co.uk/2017/11/carol-westron.html www.carolwestron.com
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To read a review of Carol latest book This Game of Ghosts
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