A Patron Saint for Fans

 

We’d arranged to help my mother do her shopping, but leaving the house is no simple matter for my family. My older son had to submit his AFL footy tips which takes deep reflection. My daughter insisted on watching the most recent episode of Stranger Things to avoid accidental spoilers on social media. My younger son loitered over a repeat episode of Master Chef to laugh at the contestants’ cooking techniques under pressure. But time is of the essence, since they’d also arranged to meet friends at the cinema later that afternoon for the latest Marvel movie.

As for me, I’m an avid reader and classic novel buff. I wanted to check in with a cool Facebook group who are discussing Anne of Green Gables to see if any new provocative questions had been posted. I had my own swirling impressions about Moby Dick to anchor onto paper. And I badly wanted to jot down ideas for a fan fiction spin-off to Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities which I’ll surely write someday.

A niggling inner voice sometimes asks me if I’ve been a bad influence on my kids. Perhaps these activities should be postponed because they aren’t important but simply self-indulgent.

Do you enjoy an immersive soak in a good story too? Or watching movies, listening to podcasts, or buying tickets to live concerts? Do you save up for your favourite sports team’s merchandise? Perhaps the pleasure of adding a new favourite character to your list of literary crushes makes your day. My daughter collects hundreds of vinyl figurines she loves from books and screen. Their beady eyes seem to follow you whenever you step into her room. At one stage, hearing the name ‘Harry Potter’ could make my ears twitch across a crowded auditorium.

 Maybe you’re just dying to know who’ll get married by the end of your novel, or who the villain turns out to be. And you've covered the backs and fronts of several scraps of paper with scribble, so you won’t forget plot details. Hey, maybe you’ll even figure out the mystery before Poirot.

‘But what’s the point of all this?’ a motivated medical missionary friend once asked me.

A tight, knotty feeling constricted my throat. It always happens when I panic. ‘Because it’s fun’ didn’t seem to cut it, so I didn’t say it. I’m not smart enough to add anything great to the world of science, engineering, politics or education. I don’t do anything important. The glint in her eye signified that she saw through me. I can't pinpoint a single soul who benefits from my love of reading and daydreaming. After all, it's not practical like the healing, helpful work she’s involved in. I’m merely a super passionate fan, but so what? Benefiting from someone else’s creative work isn't a skill, but a luxury.

I mumbled something about this sort of thing being mostly for downtime and escaped before she could ask, ‘Downtime from what?’ The brief exchange lingered like smog in my mind. Am I the ultimate parasite, wasting my life, by taking in without the means of giving much out? I wanted to dodge the next logical guilt trip of a question, but it wormed its accusative path into my conscience. Am I pulling my weight on this planet?

I tell you, I’m no fan of curly existential questions. Instead I’ve become a great fan of another person, who was also a wholehearted fan herself.

Let me take you back over two thousand years ago, to a fangirl who knelt in the desert sunset by the feet of a great visiting storyteller, captivated by every word he spoke. But her frazzled older sister poked her perspiring face out of the kitchen and pointedly cleared her throat.

‘Ahem, excuse me but has anyone noticed I’m doing all the work around here?’

Their guest’s raised eyebrows invited her to elaborate.

‘What I mean to say is this. I’ve been cooking, scrubbing and pot stirring, while Mary here has been sitting around doing nothing. Don’t you think she should give me a hand?’

The fangirl’s cheeks flamed. She was used to hearing her sister scold her to do something ‘useful,’ but never dreamed she’d draw their houseguest into their tense family dynamics. Whoa, I’ll be in for it later.

The great sage simply smiled. 'Martha, you're stressed out with many things on your plate, but if Mary has chosen the best one of all, who am I to deprive her? She isn’t doing nothing. I’ve nearly finished telling this story. Won’t those falafels keep for a moment? Why not stay and hear the end?'

The fangirl realised she was gaping, and snapped her mouth shut. Wow, what did he just say? Did he mean that being a fangirl was an acceptable use of her time after all?

We never find out just what was interrupted. What was he talking about to captivate her so? Was it one of his signature stories or something entirely new? Was it worth risking a tongue lashing for? Since Mary was so spellbound, wouldn’t you love the inside scoop?

But we never find out, because it's not the point. The spotlight is taken off the famous storyteller and shone on his listener. Her attitude strikes him as totally praiseworthy, to the point where he calls it a perfect use of her time. And she never appears to go away and do anything mind-blowing with whatever she takes on board. There's no 'Book of Mary' in the Bible where this story takes place. Her receptive, passionate heart was enough. She prioritised time for fun and fascination. Maybe when a receptive, passionate heart is the best we have to offer, it's enough from us too.

'Yeah, well somebody has to cook the meal and wash the dishes,' my busy, practical friend points out.

Well, duh, of course it’s self-evident that hard, tangible work is a huge benefit. Sometimes people in Martha's shoes are quite right to speak up. But hard workers often get the pats on the back they deserve, because the results of their industry are clear. This incident makes another point. Could it be that those of us who simply relish fandom may deserve kudos too?

What if our happy, preoccupied grins as we curl up with our books, switch on our screens or poke in our earbuds are lighthouse beacons, signalling others not to drift far from what brings them joy. It’s incredibly easy to get caught in riptides of duty and purpose. Maybe the danger is that this drift from pleasure doesn’t necessarily feel alarming. Just normal. Perhaps our passionate activities do have a point. Ours is the delightful duty of reminding others that it is vital to put aside time for whatever makes our hearts sing.

Once, my daughter and I stepped into a shop while she was wearing her Games of Thrones T-shirt. An employee stacking shelves nearby beamed broadly and called out, ‘Hey, do you think Jon Snow is really dead?’

A refreshing chat followed, which turned out to be one of the highlights of my daughter’s day. A shared fandom is a feast that makes friends out of strangers. Enthusiasts like my daughter, who are willing to wear their hearts on their T-shirts, can spread grace and joy wherever they go. And best of all, it’s freely bestowed, with no consideration for compensation or payback.

Another of my favourite role models, author Elizabeth Gilbert, says, ‘You may end only with the satisfaction of knowing you passed your existence in devotion to the noble human virtue of inquisitiveness. That should be more than enough for anyone to say that they lived a rich and splendid life.’

So please read on, my fellow nerds! Watch the documentary, learn how that game works, tell us your favourite novel from any specific series and explain why. When I'm feeling a bit fruitless, I sometimes remember that ancient fangirl Mary, who was never officially dubbed the Patron Saint of Fans but arguably should have been.

The last time we saw a nephew of mine, he said, ‘I love it when I get to hang out with you guys, because you all rave on about fictional characters as if they’re real people.’ I choose to take that as a real compliment. For if that’s truly what he loves, then he’s come to the right place.

Trixie Belden Series 16 - 18

16 The Mystery of the Missing Heiress

Jim discovers he has a cousin named Juliana from Holland who has just inherited a prime strip of land in Sleepyside. The Bob Whites eagerly await meeting Juliana when she arrives in town to board with Mrs Vanderpoel, yet is she all they hope Jim's cousin will be? Meanwhile another young woman known as 'Janie' is involved in an accident and wakes up with total amnesia. Janie is invited to recuperate with the Beldens but it seems she's the target of ruthless crooks. Can Trixie and the others stop the criminals in their tracks and figure out Janie's identity?

* Yay, we have a story taking place entirely in Sleepyside at last! It's been far too long. I enjoy their visits to far-off destinations, yet we've just had five holidays back-to-back and I do miss Peter, Helen, Bobby, Regan and others who are closer to home. It's great to see Mrs Vanderpoel again too.

 * Sadly, Spider and Tad Webster are no longer living with Mrs Vanderpoel because Spider was offered a higher position in the White Plains police force. However, it seems they're both homesick, and Spider feels the new job isn't all it was cracked up to be. 

* The Bob Whites are overjoyed because Mr Wheeler gives them his second hand station wagon. Their rule of not taking what they haven't earned doesn't seem to come into play. Not so long ago, Trixie told Di they'd have to turn down a mere lamp her father offered them (pun intended). Now they have no qualms about accepting a whole car. 

* As a kid, this story gave me a fascination with amnesia and the mysterious workings of the human memory. Janie's thread shows that a lovely person is lovely to the bone, with or without her identity intact. 

*  Jim is in fine gentlemanly form in this book. His delight to have traced a living blood relative, when he'd assumed he was the last of all his family lines, is heart-warming. 

* Trixie points out that Jim's corrupt stepfather, Jonesy, hasn't been seen around Sleepyside for the past two years. Although I've given up keeping chronology, it's only meant to be one year, in the compressed timeline we're given. Two years makes far more sense, but then the authors would have to adjust the Bob Whites' ages, and they're loath to do that. It may be partly because they want to prevent Jim and Brian turning 18 and heading off to college for as long as possible. But hey, surely the duo could commute! They live close enough to New York City. I think more to the point, they've decided Trixie's identity is a 14-year-old! That's all there is to it. She must stay 14, to remain relatable to her target audience. (Honestly, I'm sure it got to the stage where her audience would cheer if she turned 15, but there we have it.) 

* Diana used to want to be an air stewardess, but now she's not sure what she wants to be, unless it's a mother. Honey sweetly agrees that they all want to be that, and refers to Mrs Belden as their perfect role model. It's a lovely conversation, although Helen's occupation really stretches beyond stay-at-home-mom. She's running a small farm or cottage industry, of course, with her chickens and garden produce. She also grows prize winning banksias, which surprised me since I'd assumed they were Aussie flowers.

* Trixie and Honey volunteer at the local hospital as 'candy stripers' which turns out to be young teenagers in candy striped uniforms who help with odd jobs, such as a bit of cleaning or amusing patients. 

* Mart develops a passion for playing music. He strums away on guitar and can also play quite reasonable keyboard. Janie teaches him several ballads that linger in her memory banks, and he's keen to learn. Music is a powerful tool because unsurprisingly, Janie has flashes of memory return while she's playing or humming along with Mart. 

Mrs Belden gets a bit flustered and talks too much around intimidating people like Juliana. I can so relate. 

* Reddy is permitted in the zoo!!! How times have changed. Friends, I don't recommend trying to take your dog on your next zoo visit.

* Ooh la la, there might be a romantic liaison between Mr Lytell and Miss Trask after all. At least Mart suggests this might be the case, and although Honey shoots him down, she doesn't deny it. (Part of the conversation goes like this. Honey: Of course they like one another and they have for a long time. What of it? Mart: Not a thing. If she doesn't mind how cranky he gets and thinks he looks like a Greek god, it's okay with me.)

* Dan's elderly horse Spartan can dance. It's an accidental discovery. I can't shake off the hilarious image of Dan trotting along on his rounds for Mr Maypenny, listening to his radio, when Spartan suddenly breaks into a waltz beneath him. And there's a good reason for it. Spartan used to be a circus performer in his more coltish years. These left of field happenings are partly what make the series so cool. 

* But how about the Turf Show? That thread sadly peters out, unless it's picked up in the next book. The kids were practising so hard for it. It was such a big deal to Regan, but apparently not as big a deal to Kathryn Kenny. 

* Blue Heron Marsh is to be demolished to make way for the International Pine furniture company. I feel my memory banks being stirred. I reckon this thread will be taken further down the track. Brian and the others mourn the loss of all the precious herbs that grow and bird life that hangs out there.   

* Trixie has her stomach turned on several suspicious occasions by the lingering scent of Jonesy's nauseating tobacco. For a smart and crafty crook, he's pretty careless about cleaning up his crime scenes. If he's going to be sloppy enough to leave pipes or whole tobacco tins behind, he deserves whatever he gets. Furthermore, it's surprising that Jim doesn't instantly identify that sickening scent on these mysterious occasions. It's Jonesy's signature odour after all, and Jim has lived with him for long enough.      

* One of the biggest mysteries of this tale may be why Jim's foreign aunt from Holland happened to own such a prime slab of real-estate in Sleepyside of all places. The Bob Whites never seem to even speculate about that.  

* Quote of the book goes to Trixie. 'Don't you wish the Bob Whites could go on and on as we are now, just the same age as we are now.' Well, with the help of these Kathryn Kenny authors, her wish seems to get granted. 

17) The Mystery of the Uninvited Guest 

Wedding bells are in the air, as Jim's cousin Juliana prepares to marry her sweetheart Hans Vorwald, before moving back to live in Holland. The friction of preparing for it takes its toll on everyone, and a spate of robberies adds to the tension. The Lynches' lounge room is stripped clean, all the district bikes are stolen and even Juliana's gorgeous engagement ring goes missing. Meanwhile Trixie is barely tolerating a visit from her cousin Hallie, who she fiercely resents. And a strange lady phones out of the blue to request a wedding invitation. What will happen if everything comes to a climax on the special day?

* The Beldens are hosting their cousin Hallie from Idaho. To call Trixie's grudge against her ginormous is an understatement. It turns out to be based on jealousy and insecurity. Hallie has dark, Indian princess looks, and is totally self-confident with drawling mannerisms. The way Trixie blows up at Hallie, for no real reason at all, is inexcusable and atrocious. 

* Aha, it turns out Trixie frequently feels upstaged by Hallie. A shadow side of Trixie's character is revealed. Solving mysteries is more than just a generous impulse. She does seek credit and attention, to boost her own importance. She even admits that getting positive feedback makes her feel as if she matters in the world. When Hallie steps forward to do some sleuthing of her own, Trixie is so disgruntled because she feels sidelined. She's addicted to praise and acclamation. We fans of Trixie wouldn't go so far as to say it's all about her, but it clearly is a lot about her.

* We are directly told 'Trixie was not used to sharing the limelight and she didn't quite know how to make room for a cousin in this fun time.' (Refer back to my observation at the end of Book 14, The Mystery of the Emeralds, when Mart comments that Trixie doesn't want her thunder stolen; Trixie attempts to pulverize him on the spot, and Jim asks him to apologize to her.) She's a good detective but also a spoiled brat.   

* It's weird that Moms doesn't mention Hallie's visit in the week leading up to it. Trixie only knows about it because she overhears a phone call, and Brian and Mart have no idea at all until she's there. Perhaps it was meant to be a pleasant surprise. It sure backfires on Trixie.  

* Hallie is the daughter of a third Belden boy named Harold, brother of Peter and Andrew. I imagine she was named after her dad. I wonder if it's short for Harriet or if Hallie simply stands alone.  

* It turns out Mrs Vanderpoel was married straight after World War One. This continues to date the series. If she married in her twenties and is now in her eighties, this story must be the 1970s at the latest. Mrs Vanderpoel is possibly in her sprightly seventies though, in which case it's set in the sixties, which matches the 1962 publication date. 

* There's nothing quite like wedding preparations to bring everyone's deepest character flaws to the surface. Madeleine Wheeler is adept at dodging responsibility and leaving all the details to Miss Trask. And we get the feeling Miss Trask is just about on the edge of her last nerve. She's decidedly shirty at times, to be saddled with all the work. 

* Trixie is not the only one whose insecurities are stirred by wedding fever. Diana almost reverts to her old, touchy self as a result of having her wedding invitation swiped from the letter-box. It dredges old feelings of being left out. Sure, her sensible self can reason that there was obviously some mistake. She's in the wedding party, after all! But her sensitive self demands why it had to be her invitation. And Mart virtually admits that he makes a Herculean effort to assert himself as a distinct personality from his virtuous older brother, Brian. He's talking about his male cousins (Hallie's brothers) but we know he's thinking of himself.   

* Di's small twin sisters are included in the wedding ceremony, to their great delight. The names of these two are never divulged throughout the whole series, unlike their brothers, Larry and Terry.

* We are told the Lynches re-hired Harrison the butler, along with nannies for the younger kids. Apparently coping with the demands of a rich couple's lifestyle became too overwhelming to manage alone. But Mr Lynch is a fun guy, so why not look for someone a little less anal retentive than Harrison this time round? I get the feeling Mrs Lynch veers to the compulsive, control freak side of the scale, and Harrison is more on her wavelength. 

* It's cheeky of a stranger like Miss Ryks to make a phone call, asking to be included on someone's wedding guest list! Did anyone ever really do that, even in the primitive seventies? Whether she's on the level or not, behaviour that pushy crosses an etiquette line in my books. So the title of this book turns out to have a double meaning. Hallie is an uninvited guest at Crabapple Farm as far as Trixie is concerned, and Miss Ryks is an uninvited guest at Hans and Juliana's wedding.

* Circumstantial evidence looks really bad against poor Dan for a while. 

* There are a few romantic sparks between Hallie and Dan, or at least the suggestion of them. I get the feeling these could grow stronger if these two get to see more of each other. However, I don't know how well sparks fly across a large continent. Long distance relationships are rough. 

* Di catches Juliana's wedding bouquet. Look out, Mart. 

* The Turf Show which doesn't take place in the last book is mentioned again. And.... doesn't take place again. Are they really going to prolong it until the next book? 

* Juliana and Hans are off to start their lives together in Holland. And all the wedding planners no doubt breathe sighs of relief.  

* Quote of the book goes to Mr Lynch. 'My wife is a nut about having things match. Even the children.'

18) The Mystery of the Phantom Grasshopper

Trixie loves her mother's old tradition of calling a greeting to Hoppy, the grasshopper weather vane on top of Sleepyside town hall. It's said to bring good luck, so she gets Honey and Di on board too. But poor Hoppy disappears the night after an intense storm. If he was blown off the roof, he's nowhere to be found. When a $1000 reward is offered for the irreplaceable antique weather vane, it begins to look as if thievery might have taken place. Could Miss Lawler, the super-anxious teacher's aide, have anything to do with it? Or her erratic friend Sammy, who seems to have a split personality? How about the tall guy in the strange car who keeps hanging around?

*This book was published in 1977. I believe it can still be dated like earlier ones, but now back to the mid-seventies. The Bob Whites catch a movie at the Sleepyside cinema together, and when they emerge, the boys discuss the giant gorilla climbing a big building. I suspect this unidentified movie was none other than the 1976 blockbuster King Kong, which hit the cinemas around the time this book was published.

* Diana Lynch can be a bit of a quiet stirrer when she chooses. I'm convinced she draws attention to the missing button from Trixie's Bob White jacket just to set Mart off. And it works, of course. Sneaky retribution for all the times Trixie bosses her around, or leaves her out of plans with Honey perhaps. You got to watch the quiet ones. 

* We meet kindly Mr Perkins, the owner of Sleepyside radio station WSTH which plays a wide variety of music pleasing listeners across generations. The moms and dads are said to love a whole heap of moldy oldies from the jazz and swing era which not even grandparents listen to anymore. (Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, the Dorsey brothers and George Gershwin.) Thankfully the story doesn't identify what the young people listen to. That would be too big an anchor to the era. We are just told it includes 'all the current rock and pop hits'. I suspect that if we were told what they were, they would sound like dinosaurs too.   

* WSTH obviously didn't limit the number of times a request could be played on the radio. So listeners were bombarded with earworms such as 'Meet me in St Louis' and 'St Louis Blues' several times a day. That would be enough to make a former listener out of me. I'm relieved times have changed. I mean, gee whiz, how about time restraints? Wasn't anybody else requesting anything at all?

* Regan has been caring for a friend's Shetland pony and quietly teaches Bobby how to ride him, to surprise the Bob Whites. Regan is a legend, especially if he manages to conceal something as big as a Shetland pony while the kids have been coming and going. That's no mean feat.  

* Mart gets the wrong word! The Bob Whites walk into Wimpy's and he says he's positively bulimic, when he really means he's starving. The weirdest thing is nobody picks him up on this. 

* The Bob Whites walk in to the police station to discover Sergeant Molinson enjoying a coffee and doughnut. That's regarded as stereotypical storybook cop food now. I wonder if it was back then.

* Trixie proves herself to be great detective material once again, fearlessly doing things without a qualm that would daunt most people. She may be a bit full of herself at times but she sure does venture where nobody else dares to tread. 

* Just like Trixie, Honey and Di, I grew quite fond of Hoppy the town hall weather vane by the time the story finished. What a cool local icon. Especially his glass eyes. You can bet I'd be calling hello to him too. 

* Quote of the book is from Di. 'We're going to say hello to Hoppy until we're old, old ladies.' 

Do join me next time for Books 19 - 21

And catch up on Books 13 - 15

'Running Scared' by Susan J Bruce

What if the boy you love is hiding a dark secret?

My name is Melinda and this has been the worst
year ever … We had to leave our family farm,
Mum is in hospital, Dad is losing it and my
freak-out-and-run arachnophobia is getting worse.

The one good thing in my world is Rory.
Maybe he sees things differently because he’s
been in a wheelchair for the past eight years,
but Rory always knows how to make me laugh.

Problem is, Dad doesn’t want me anywhere near
him. He doesn’t trust Rory or his family,
especially as Rory’s brother is wanted
by the police.

And now I’m scared Rory is hiding something ... 

MY THOUGHTS: 

This is an edgy and fast-paced young adult novel which is still brimming with Aussie flora and fauna. I'm not sure how the author, Susan J Bruce, gets us to take in the sensual environmental detail while high stakes action scenes are happening all around us, but somehow she aces it. The theme is all about the illusory nature of fear and building mindsets to disarm it, and it's easy to take on board.  

Melinda Green is a teenager forced to move with her father to a city suburb after they lose their farm. Her mother is in hospital, suffering trauma of her own, and the mean Sartell siblings have taken a dislike to Melinda at school. Her safe spot and haven is their next door neighbour's yard. Rory is a school friend who doesn't let being bound to a wheelchair hold him back from anything. He is a keen athlete and keeps a fascinating menagerie of wild critters in his garage. But although these two are in sync with each other, Melinda's dad warns her to steer clear of Rory, because his brother Luke is a fugitive wanted for murder.      

Everyone Melinda cares most about has vulnerabilities of their own, which can't help impacting her. Her parents, Neil and Jill, are emotionally frail folk who have dealt with some harsh experiences and are trying to stay strong. The book really shows that when one member of a family unit takes a severe blow, everyone suffers and the repercussions are felt months, even years later. They are living with reliable Aunt Lynn, who tries to help heal the hurts in her brother's family using every means she can, including her infamous vegan cooking which nobody likes. And living nearby is Melinda's best friend Thali, a big-hearted but chatty girl whose mouth is a bit of a loose cannon. 

There is even something for those of us with arachnophobic tendencies. Melinda turns out to have a perfectly watertight reason for her intense dread of spiders. It's one of the book's mysteries which comes to light in its proper time, but she still wishes to overcome it. Rory's pet spider, Lucy, steals every scene she's in (unsurprisingly just by being herself). Even if this story doesn't make spider lovers of us all, I'm pretty sure no reader can make it to the end without at least liking Lucy and wishing her all the best.   

I have to say as I was reading, this story really put me in mind of one of my favourite Aussie books of the last few years; Trent Dalton's Boy Swallows Universe. It has that same pulsing underworld of danger beneath the seemingly colourful and innocuous Australian suburban setting. Both Melinda Green and Eli Bell are young adults living in Brisbane, but Running Scared is set in a far more up-to-date, tech savvy era than Dalton's eighties. If you're like me and loved one of these books, I can heartily recommend the other.

Disclaimer: Thanks to the author, for sending me a copy to review. All my opinions are genuine and honest. 

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'Emily's Quest' by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Lucy Maud Montgomery's Emily Trilogy winds up with this novel about writing and love. 

MY THOUGHTS:

This third novel in the trilogy takes off where the second left off. It's essentially a gentle tale about a girl quietly working at home, but there is so much discussion worthy material packed in.

The core four have all graduated from high school and gone their separate ways. Ilse is at the School of Literature and Expression and Teddy off to the School of Design, both in Montreal. (What cool sounding institutions.) Perry is a law clerk in Charlottetown, aiming for the Supreme Court bench. Only Emily, having refused Miss Janet Royal's offer to live with her in New York, is back at New Moon, convinced that she's made the right decision. She wants nothing more than to buckle down and produce some quality writing from her beloved home, unless it's the love of a certain young man. (Okay, let's not be coy, anyone who comes to this book straight after Emily Climbs know that she fancies Teddy Kent.) 

Emily realises the sacrifices it'll take to chase her writing dream, yet her peace of mind still gets one almighty pummeling throughout this book. We readers can't help sensing a certainty that Montgomery is drawing from her own experience of shooting for the moon professionally. The toll it took on her translates to Emily, who is a more melancholic personality with far deeper depressive depths than other heroines of Montgomery who weren't aiming for brilliance and fame, such as Pat, Jane, Valancy and even Anne. 

Emily had long ago decided that if she couldn't be more than just a 'pretty scribbler' she'd sooner give up, yet she can't stop, because the drive to write is too powerful. So she has no choice really, but to flagellate herself to aim for the stars. It's a heavy burden to place upon her own shoulders, and I'm sure we can sense her psyche sinking beneath the weight of her ambition in this novel in particular. 

I've heard that the drive of celebrities and high fliers prevents them from ever truly relaxing, so it's a restless and often miserable way to live, with a few hard won highs in return. When Emily holds her first published novel in her hands, she reflects, 'What a reward for the long years of toil and endeavor and disappointment and discouragement.' I question whether a published novel is really enough to atone for the sacrifice of your life's vitality, but how thankful I am for people like Emily (and Maud by extension) who believe the single-focused scramble is worth it. We benefit from their hard work.  

But Emily is open for romance too. One of the biggest questions in this book is whether she will choose Teddy or Dean. A subtle coolness exists between Teddy and Emily which often seems to be unaccounted for. Her 'stiff, pale, queenly aloofness' and his 'cool detachment and impersonal eyes' got on my nerves a bit, because 'why?' There's nothing I really dislike about Teddy. In fact at times I quite like him, but he's said to be 'sleek and well groomed' in his twenties, which doesn't strike me as the most appealing description Montgomery could have chosen.

Anyway, if taking Teddy means taking his deranged, morbid mother as part of the package, my response in Emily's place would always be, 'No way.' Even when Mrs Kent's secret past comes to light, I can't share Emily's sympathy for anyone who would stoop to poisoning innocent pet dogs and cats because she's jealous of them. Toward the end, Mrs Kent expresses amazement that anybody could face another person who has what she wants without wishing curses and grievous bodily harm upon them. Come on lady, you're not the first person whose in-laws have treated them rudely, but not everyone turns into a destructive, vindictive menace.    

Talking about possessive individuals, Dean Priest finally gets his Colonel Brandon moment, when his devotion to Emily after an accident and subsequent sickness wins him her gratitude; perhaps a stepping stone for something more. But the fact that he's indirectly responsible for her state of mind leading to the accident lends a feeling of doom and gloom to their relationship. Still, this is the moment where I actually started liking him more. Emily has long grown up, so at last he comes across more the constant suitor than the creepy stalker. Montgomery gives him plenty of character development, colourful lines and good taste too. I feel Teddy just doesn't get the same space and time.

I can see why Team Dean contenders support their man, despite his worst moment. To Team Teddy fans, I'd say at this stage their guy needs to be brighter, more charismatic and at least equally as three dimensional, but he doesn't hit the mark. Sure, he's younger than Dean, but that's about it. The fact that he's a celebrated artist doesn't impress me much. Emily ponders the 'magnetic attraction of Teddy's personality' yet it doesn't come through on paper. Sure we're told about it, but never really see it.

Ilse and Perry's big, dramatic moment of coming together in the nick of time gets a great thumbs up from me though! It's an incident worthy of their flair and energy, and I'd better say no more than that. For me, it's the high moment of the book, and they aren't even the central focus. But the beta couple carries off the prize for romance in this story, and I wish we had even more of this vibrant couple. 

Still, it's a beautifully written book. I love the descriptions of Emily's tasteful household treasures and Ilse's exotic, eccentric clothes that she manages to pull off with such panache. And I'm glad we now have trusty Google to turn to, which we didn't when I first read the Emily series in my teens. If we wonder what Emily's beloved portrait of Lady Giovanna or Dean's charismatic Elizabeth Bas actually looked like, it takes only a second to find out.  

I think it loses a star for my eventual apathy about the central question. (Will she choose the manipulative, cynical, way older man or the bland hunk whose mother is probably jabbing pins into a voodoo doll of her?) But it retains a solid four for Montgomery's transparent honesty about the toughness of the writing life, and for Ilse and Perry. 

But how about the ultimate cruel cut, which is alluded to in just a paragraph or two? When Aunts Elizabeth and Laura and Cousin Jimmy eventually pass away, the person to inherit New Moon will be Uncle Oliver's son, Andrew, who has no value for old world charm. The father and son duo have already started planning the modernisations in store for it, so it'll be goodbye to Jimmy's orchard and the old dairy. There's no indication that any rescue attempt will be possible. Emily finally gets a happy ending but poor old New Moon will be the ultimate loser. It's a sober dose of realism for us readers indeed.  

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Trixie Belden Series 13 - 15

13) The Mystery on Cobbett's Island

Time to belt out any old sea shanties we know. The Bob Whites get an opportunity to stay at The Moorings; a quaint beach retreat on Cobbett's Island, four hours from home. Trixie discovers a forgotten letter written by a guy who signs himself simply as 'Ed' with directions to a homemade treasure map. If Ed is for real and a buried fortune exits somewhere in their vicinity, they'll have to crack all the obscure clues on both the letter and map to find it. Meanwhile, a vandal is smashing lifebuoys along the coast. Can Trixie and the others unmask the crook, learn who Ed was, and discover the treasure all within their ten day visit?

* Oh dear, the time compression has started! The dudes are complaining that summer is stretching before them with not much to do, while we readers know they've just returned from back-to-back holidays to the Ozarks and New York. Granted they only spent a short time at each destination, but surely it's enough excitement to satisfy even restless Trixie. At least each incident is short enough to make the compression somewhat feasible. This getaway at Cobbett's Island itself will be only ten days.

* Wealthy chaps like Matthew Wheeler must make frequent sacrifices to maintain their high-flying, globe-trotting lifestyles. He'd planned for a bit of decompression himself at Cobbett's Island with his wife and kids, but it ain't happening. Work demands trump quality family moments, even though he probably hasn't had a fraction the time he'd like to get to know his adopted teenage son better. The quote, 'You can have anything but you can't have everything,' springs to mind. For the first time, I feel a bit sorry for him. Even though he's prosperous enough to book holiday venues at the drop of a hat, his downtime is too scarce to take advantage of them. 

* His wife Madeleine, who does have the option to keep the family commitment on Cobbett's Island with Honey and Jim, decides to opt out because she's never been where her husband is off to before. Curiosity wins out.    

* Brian's medical skills are put to the test the very day of their arrival, when he sets the broken leg of Elmer the caretaker. I'd intended to mention every incident in the series where Brian is on the spot to offer first aid, but soon saw it would get repetitive, for it happens such a lot. It's more remarkable to come across a book in the series where Brian doesn't offer any first aid. This time is worth mentioning however, because he's so chuffed about the praise he receives from the local island doctor. Good ole Brian.

* How the Bob Whites would have appreciated having Google at their fingertips! They have to search the room of their guest house for a physical dictionary to look up 'bunker boats.' If they hadn't found one, they would have been stumped that night. 

* The potential treasure is buried in some obscure spot partly because Ed's father lost his savings when a bank crashed in 1929 and now Ed doesn't trust banks. This hearkens back to an apparently casual conversation Trixie has with her dad, who tells her why banks are far more stable in modern times. It also dates the story. For if Ed had lived, he would have been young enough to have a son in his early twenties. He met his demise only eighteen years earlier. So for Ed's own father to have been around as long ago as the Depression Era, the current time for the Bob Whites might fall around the sixties (which matches the sixties publication date.) 

* I really like their new friend, Peter Kimball. That's one of the great things about this series. I'd be happy to see more of every single person the Bob Whites have befriended so far. It's sad that Peter isn't a recurring character, although I believe his Dad later invests in a ski resort with Matthew Wheeler.

* Oh gosh, we get a taste of Diana Lynch at her most irritating. Why she feels the need to ramble on about Peter Kimball's gorgeous eyes in front of Mart is beyond me. Seriously, what's the good of either a) making yourself appear shallow and superficial, or b) making the guy you've had a long term crush on feel miserable and diminished for no reason at all? Come on Di, you're better than this. Even if Peter's eyes are earth-shattering, keep a lid on it!  

* Holidays consistently turn out to mean loads of hard work for the poor boys. In the Ozarks, Brian, Mart and Jim were required to help raise new chicken sheds and outhouses for Mrs Moore in one day flat. Here on Cobbett's Island they have storm damage to clear up and a dilapidated gazebo to restore. It gets under Brian's skin to the extent that he actually snaps at his best mate Jim, something almost unheard of.  

* We learn a lot about the sport of sailing and the joy of those who make it their passion. Peter remarks that a hundred years wouldn't be enough to learn all the nuances there are about sailing, and it's obvious he's completely sincere about what he's saying.  

* Unbelievably, Mart doesn't know what monogamous means! Di is stumped when Peter Kimball uses the word (as we'd expect from her), and appeals to Dictionary Boy to enlighten her. But Mart, whose bottomless vocabulary extends to obscure foreign words, phrases and concepts, meets his Achilles Heel with this unassuming English word. Ah well, it may be good for the pair of them to learn it together sooner rather than later, especially if Diana feels the need to go around batting her famous eyelashes at guys like Peter.   

* There's another entry idea for a Bob White cook book. Trixie declares Mrs Kimball's coffee cake to be 'even better than Moms' and pleads for the recipe. But Mrs K. declares that black walnuts from her own tree is the secret, in which case the rest of us have no hope to replicate it. 

* There's another guy named Slim. As recently as two books ago in The Mystery at Bob White Cave, we had Slim Sanderson the hillbilly cave guide, and now there's Slim Novarski, the homeless drifter. To add potential confusion, they're both young and uncouth with huge chips on their shoulders. Since it's surely not a common nickname, it may have been more convenient if one of them was called something different. 

* Trixie's way of tracking down Ed's family was such a long shot. It proves to be correct, but pure luck on her part.

* Honey is woken from a beautiful dream in which she's dancing with a tall, handsome man who looks a lot like Brian. Ooh la la.  

* I swear Jim's infatuation for Trixie has almost reached cold shower stage! 

* My quote of the book is from gallant Jim, who quotes Shakespeare. 'He is well paid who is well satisfied.' That sums up the hours I'm devoting to this re-read and recap of the Trixie Belden books. Bring on more. 

14) The Mystery of the Emeralds

 It's Gone with the Wind mode for the Bob Whites, in both time and place. Trixie accidentally uncovers a long forgotten secret in her own attic. Just before the Civil War, a woman named Ruth from an estate called Rosewood Hall down south wrote to her sister Helen about the whereabouts of a valuable emerald necklace. Trixie and the others grasp the opportunity to travel to Williamsburg, Virginia with the Lynches. Maybe if they're able to set foot in Rosewood Hall they can use the vague clues in the letter to track down this heirloom to return to Ruth's descendants. It's just a matter of getting in past the hostile new owner.      

* Talk about instant deja vu! It's the exact same theme as Mystery on Cobbett's Island. The discovery of a tucked-away old letter suggesting the whereabouts of something valuable. I'm not complaining though, since I enjoy the concept of peeling back layers of time to discover what took place. 

* Wow, Crabapple Farm is a really old place. Sure, we've been told that it's been in the Belden family for several generations, but it's just sunk in for me that this encompasses the Civil War, when we find out about Rufus the runaway slave with his canteen and contraband letter, hiding in the hidey hole. The unassuming Crabapple Farm was part of the Underground Railway. Lucky Belden family, to live in a place which could be heritage listed. There is talk about ghosts at other places throughout the series, but it seems to me they more than qualify to have a few of their own. 

* Brian and Mart share a bedroom. That's made clear when Trixie rushes in to wake them up after shouting, 'Rabbit, rabbit!' I wouldn't mind having a floor plan of the house, and I'm sure the various Kathryn Kenny authors might have benefited to pass one along to each other too. 

* Trixie and Honey visit Miss Julie Sunderland, whose father fought in the Civil War. This dates the Trixie Belden series like nothing we've seen so far. For the War ended in 1865, so if Mr Sunderland returned in 1866 and Julie was born some years later (I'll say 1875 to be extra generous, but it could have been even earlier) it'd still have to be around 1965 to bring her to the age of 90. Since this book was said to be published in 1965, that fits perfectly with the author's time concept. But it sure doesn't fit for any of us who prefer to imagine the series taking place a little later, such as the eighties, nineties, or even into the 21st century. All genuine Civil War Baby Boomers are long gone.

* We meet two descendants of Ruth Sunderland Fields, the writer of the old letter. Apart from Miss Julie, her niece, there is Edgar Carver, her wheelchair bound grandson in Virginia, a really nice middle-aged gentleman and new friend.  

* Trixie takes an immediate dislike to Miss Julie's young friend Neil, just as she had to Dan. It seems she hasn't learned her lesson about first impressions. Neil even reminds her of Dan back in those early days, yet she still carries her unaccountable grudge. 

* Neil must be pretty agile, to jump a fence no-handed with milk in one hand and eggs in the other. No spillage or cracks occur either. Maybe that's why Trixie is suspicious of him. Is the guy super-human?

* Since the Lynches plan to incorporate Diana's birthday into their impromptu visit down south, it must make her a few months younger than Trixie, who had her birthday on May 1st. After all that's gone down since, it must be at least July, especially since Trixie just celebrated the turn into a new month by shouting, 'Rabbit, rabbit.' What an intense June it's been.

* Mr Lynch comes across as a different style of millionaire to Mr Wheeler. He's jolly and matey, and his daughter clearly adores him. He calls his wife 'Mother', suggesting the title extends to Diana's friends for the duration of the trip. Not only is Mr Lynch altruistic about the restoration of old buildings, but his money enables him to lend helping hands to those who may need it. What a nice guy. 

* On the road with Mr Lynch, Brian decides to make a classier lunch order than Trixie and Mart's inevitable hamburgers, opting for 'barbecued beef on a soft bun with coleslaw.' Trixie accuses him of breaking their family tradition. Even though Brian might have been a hipster before his time, it doesn't strike me as that radical a lunch.

* All the Bob Whites are sort of reverential about Abraham Lincoln's statue in Washington. The president who would have been in at the time of this book's publication was Lyndon Johnson and it was a few years after JFK's assassination. They were still in the era of hero presidents. Trixie makes a joke about Mart becoming a future president. I'm sure some readers probably think he might have made a better job of it than some of the more recent ones who spring to mind :)

* Jenkins, the current owner of Rosewood Hall, is a nasty piece of work who should surely have been convicted of physical assault after his treatment of at least two people. It amazes me what bullies from years ago could get away with. 

* Oh for heaven's sake, Trixie goes totally bonkers after one of Mart's offhand comments and jumps on him with talons bared and fists flying until Jim forcibly restrains her. I wish someone would tell her to grow up and learn to take a joke. As it is, Jim asks Mart to take back what he said. This pattern irks me a lot. Because she has anger management issues, he is forced to apologise and retract. As John Cleese once said, people who can't control their own emotions have to control other people's behavior.

* Sure, her bossiness is based on kindness and altruism, but it's still damn bossy! 

* If you're wondering about Mart's comment, which sent Trixie off her nut, I might as well make it the quote of the book. He says, 'We know what you're getting at. You just don't want any of us stealing your thunder. You want to find the emeralds all by yourself, don't you?' And we're even told that he said it in a good natured spirit. I think perhaps she gets so mad because he strikes a little too close to home.  

15) Mystery on the Mississippi

Trixie becomes involved with a suspected espionage case in Tom Sawyer country. Mr Wheeler has business with some local aircraft manufacturers and treats the Bob Whites to a trip to St Louis. Trixie and Honey discover some papers covered with strange, scribbled hieroglyphics in the rubbish bin of their motel room. It brings a dangerous crook on their trail, desperate to get his documents back. He follows the gang on a steamboat pleasure cruise; through Hannibal, the home of Mark Twain and back to home base, culminating in a terrifying night for the girls.   

* Okay, I've reached the point where I finally throw up my hands and give up keeping track of chronology. It's gone out the window. The dudes are off on another trip; the sixth in succession at this stage. No school break could possibly be elastic enough to fit them all. What's more, Brian and Jim become perpetual seniors at Sleepyside High. Book 10 (The Marshland Mystery) indicates they were intending to progress to college when the others return, but that ain't happening. Poor Brian and Jim. Imagine the horror of Groundhog Day stuck at school! We might as well consider the adventures to be mixed reminiscences of the Bob Whites from here on. It makes more sense than pretending there's any type of timeline. But we lasted until book 15. That's not bad. 

* This time we get Dan but lose Diana (who is off on another family holiday with her folks). There seems to be some tacit agreement between Kathryn Kenny authors to not have all the Bob Whites together in one mystery. Drats!

* I think some of the dialogue must have been updated for my oval edition from the eighties. Mart tells Mr Wheeler how badly he'd love to see one of the space capsules that went to the moon, yet the original publication was said to be 1965, before the moon landing took place.  

* Jim must have his full driver's license, because his adopted dad puts him in charge of the hire car. But hold on, Brian and others were still giving Jim driving lessons as recently as Book 3, little more than a year earlier. If the process used to progress that quickly, it sure doesn't now. (Sorry, I said I'd given up on chronology, but I guess old habits die hard.)

* Dan and Mart seem to have thrown in their lots as best buddies, yet their styles of smartness are poles apart. Dan's is the gritty, street smart intelligence born of former desperation. He hasn't lost his hard edge, or his instinct. Mart's is wordy, nerdy, literary intelligence driven by pure curiosity. There's a place for both, but it's no wonder they sometimes clash. I'd love to see far more dynamics between these two, but I guess the Kathryn Kenny authors will soon start pulling Dan from holidays again. That's such a shame. BTW, it turns out Dan aspires to be a New York City cop.  

* At least we'll never be short of 'almost twin' friction. Trixie and Mart drive each other insane. I think it's because while their priorities tend to be quite different, their approach is identical. Trixie is always single-minded on her mystery of the moment, while Mart is intense about his current interests. They both spout off the second they think of things to say, yet they resent that in each other. I love Brian's eye-rolling management of both of them. He's lived with them all their lives and knows they're essentially the same. 

* Mr and Mrs Aguilera! Juan and Elena. How exotic these two are. So Spanish or Cuban or wherever they hail from. 

* Once again, the setting of this story draws me in to the extent that I looked up Hannibal, Mark Twain country on internet, as if I'd ever get to visit for real. It sounds as if places in the famous Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn stories were based on actual landmarks, a sure draw card for book nerds like Mart Belden. The Bob Whites saw the white picket fence! Ah, I can only wish. 

* Awww, poor Honey's trusting nature takes a severe blow, which I find very sad. Her willingness to think the best of everybody until further notice is one of her most attractive qualities but will it ever be quite the same again? Seriously, I think it's undergone too great a trauma to recover.

* I wouldn't have minded finding out how the boys enjoyed their long-awaited visit to the space station exhibit, but hey, it's totally understandable that got swept aside considering what went down simultaneously. Still, they were hanging out for it so much, especially Mart, that a few words might have been nice.   

* Toward the end, several characters argue about whose fault the whole hair-raising fiasco was, each claiming blame. I think the most culpable person was someone who never gets a mention; the slack motel cleaner who left such large traces of the former occupant behind when Trixie and Honey entered their room. Inexcusable, in their line of work. (I've done a bit of domestic cleaning myself here and there and trust me, that's one of the biggest no-nos in the book, for obvious reasons.)

* Oh, and Mr Pierre Lontard (I can reveal his name since he's clearly bad from the start), if you don't want to lose your precious plans, it might be a wise idea not to toss them in the bin. 

* Quote of the book is from Dan. 'Mart, is there anything you don't know?'

Catch my last thoughts on Books 10 - 12

And join me next time for Books 16 - 18

  

Stories about Insomniacs

No doubt we've all battled this beast occasionally, and tried counting thousands of sheep. Thankfully I've never been a chronic sufferer, but it's caused desperation on random nights, when I've joined the ranks of keyed up mortals googling books with titles such as 'Desperately Seeking Snoozin'. I'm sure many of these purchases are made at 2 or 3 am.

Sleep experts suggest not lying in bed stewing, but getting up to read. So here is a list of famous literary insomniacs for a time when you might need it. Who would've imagined they have their own tradition? Believe me, there's not much around like what I've compiled here. If you google 'insomnia stories' you'll be more likely to find a litany of woeful anecdotes from poor wakeful sufferers, rather than fun lists of literary gems. Consider this the Insomnia Hall of Fame if you like.

I'll start with the wretched and sinister side of insomnia (just to prove that your own bouts of wakefulness might be worse).

1) Shakespeare's Henry IV 
I think this might have been guilt-induced sleeplessness. Henry had Richard II deposed so he could claim the throne, but now the poor wretch trudges the palace passages all night long, groaning because his poorest subjects are that moment enjoying the luxury that's denied to him. 'O sleep, o gentle sleep, nature's soft nurse, how have I frightened thee?'

2) The Yellow Wallpaper
Charlotte Perkins Gilman came out the other side of what she considered a bout of near madness, and wrote this story to help process her experience. The main character, who probably suffered a bout of post natal depression, is ordered to relax and recuperate, but the yellow wallpaper in her bedroom starts sending her around the twist. She lies awake all night to the point where she believes other women may be confined behind it. From there, it's an easy leap to assume that she might even be one of them! No wonder she can't sleep.

3) Stephen King's 'Insomnia'
Ralph Roberts not only has to put up with the frustration of insomnia, but also experiences disturbing visions along with it. He can detect auras around people, and also sees a strange race he dubs the 'little bald doctors', who are engaged in a terrible battle against the Crimson King.

4) Laura Ingalls Wilder
In These Happy Golden Years, Laura describes her tough time teaching far from home, and boarding with the Brewster family. Mrs B used to fly off the handle and swing her carving knife around, making desperate threats of murder or suicide. She was an extremely unhappy lady. So was Laura, when she found herself lying awake, staring into the darkness, ever alert in case she was the unlucky victim.

5) Emily of New Moon
The poor young heroine is staying with her Great Aunt Nancy. The chimney behind the head of her bed is full of sinister sounds, and she's convinced it's haunted. Each night Emily lies awake, frozen with terror, until she finds out the commotion isn't coming from ghosts, but from a flock of nesting birds. Whew! I think I'd still prefer silence, but it did the trick for Emily. (My review is here.)

6) The Moonstone
Here's a favourite of mine. Poor Franklin Blake is addicted to tobacco but gallantly tries to quit cold turkey, because Rachel, the woman he loves, detests the odour in his clothes. As a withdrawal symptom, he suffers successive nights of terrible insomnia until Mr Candy, the doctor, decides to end his misery by sneaking a drop of opium into his nightcap. That unleashes a catastrophe for poor Franklin which takes him months to get to the bottom of. I've reviewed the book here.

And the next lot of stories are about times when insomnia proves to be productive.

7) Tom's Midnight Garden
Poor Tom finds it hard to sleep while staying with his aunt and uncle, so he slips out of bed to wander around once they're asleep. If it hadn't been for his nocturnal exploring, he would never have made his astounding discovery. My review is here.

8) The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Lucy and Susan can't get to sleep one night. They sense something ominous in the air. When the sisters creep out of their tent for a moonlight walk, they stumble upon their beloved Aslan at a crucial moment in his life. The girls are able to offer the great Lion some much needed comfort and support before he bravely sets off to the Stone Table, to meet the White Witch and her minions. (Review is here.)

The final three are straight from the Bible, so if you'd like to think of it this way, perhaps your insomnia could be part of a divine plan.

9) Jacob
He's too uptight about meeting his brother, Esau, to fall asleep. Their meeting is set for the following day, and Jacob has no idea what sort of reception to expect. So he takes a stroll away from the campsite, and ends up spending the rest of the night wrestling with a powerful warrior. When it dawns on Jacob that the man is the Angel of the Lord, he summons his nerve to ask for a blessing. What a missed opportunity it might have been had he managed to fall asleep.

10) Gideon
It's the night before a huge battle against the Midianites. The leader of the Hebrew army understandably can't sleep. He wiles away the hours by creeping off to the enemy's camp, where he overhears two soldiers discussing their terror of the Jews. One of them (who obviously didn't share Gideon's insomnia) describes a prophetic dream that they will certainly lose to Israel. Gideon takes it as an excellent sign and returns to his own camp with his courage restored.

11) King Artaxerxes
This mighty Persian ruler has an inexplicable bout of insomnia one night, and decides to try lulling himself to sleep by reading some dry historical records. Sounds like the right idea. His reading reminds him that a Hebrew named Mordecai had done him a great service long ago, and has never been rewarded. Behind the scenes, the king's wicked advisor, Haman, is plotting Mordecai's downfall. This is nipped in the bud in such a way that the king's insomnia helps save Mordecai's life.

This list is a good start to give us a sense of comradeship during those moments when sleep eludes us. Getting stuck into these books may also help give us the zzzzs, which is what we really want. Please let me know if you can think of any others.

'Till we have Faces' by C.S. Lewis

In this timeless tale of two mortal princesses- one beautiful and one unattractive- C.S. Lewis reworks the classical myth of Cupid and Psyche into an enduring piece of contemporary fiction. This is the story of Orual, Psyche's embittered and ugly older sister, who posessively and harmfully loves Psyche. Much to Orual's frustration, Psyche is loved by Cupid, the god of love himself, setting the troubled Orual on a path of moral development.

Set against the backdrop of Glome, a barbaric, pre-Christian world, the struggles between sacred and profane love are illuminated as Orual learns that we cannot understand the intent of the gods "till we have faces" and sincerity in our souls and selves.

MY THOUGHTS:

I'd seen this C.S. Lewis fantasy for adults highly recommended and discovered my retro copy in a second hand bookshop. I'm so pleased I bought it, because of the spotlight it shines on human nature. This is Lewis' adaptation of the Greek myth of Psyche and Cupid. (Okay, I recommend you stop reading right here and now and google a quick summary of the myth. That might sound like seeking spoilers, but it really isn't. Because Lewis comes from a place of expecting us to know it, and he's about to turn the myth inside out. If we know nothing about it, there's no way we'll be blown away as he intends. And that would be a waste of the book.)

(Are you back? Good.) This story starts in the nation of Glome under the reign of King Trom. Lewis tells his tale from the point of view of Princess Orual, beautiful Psyche's eldest sister, who is born to take on a stressful role in the palace and soon realises she's remarkably ugly to boot. Orual appears in the actual myth as one of the wicked sisters who convince Psyche to unmask her incognito husband, leading to her own terrible downfall. But Lewis' Orual insists that her motives were far more pure than the myth would have us believe, which is what this story is all about. 

 The people all worship at the temple of Aphrodite, who is known throughout Glome as Ungit. The goddess is represented by an ancient, rugged and pocked looking rock that seemingly came from nowhere. The creepy old temple priest exudes what Orual has come to consider a 'holy' smell; pigeon's blood, burned fat, singed hair, wine and stale incense. One day, he demands beautiful young Psyche as a sacrifice. She's being blamed for famine and unrest in the land, for supposedly 'aping the gods' and stealing worship that's due to Ungit alone. And a perfect sacrifice is necessary for the temple of Ungit anyway. 

Orual's desperate measures cannot save Psyche, who is the treasure of her heart. But instead of dying on the mountaintop, Psyche is rescued by an anonymous saviour who takes her as his wife, but refuses to let her see his face. Nonetheless, Psyche thrives in her new lifestyle, until Orual discovers she's survived, and immediately aims to undermine her happiness with doubt about the identity of the supposed deity. Convinced that she has only Psyche's best interest at heart, Orual gets back-up support from her two most trusted advisors, after constructing the story in a carefully biased way to maximise their agreement.

The girls' beloved tutor and mentor, known as the Fox, is a slave captured from Greece, who retains the outlook and wisdom of his homeland, which is impressive but limited. He has a Grecian bent towards explaining everything through science, and ignoring all that doesn't filter through the evidence of his five senses. The unseen realm is brushed aside as inconsequential and non-existent. 

On the other hand, Bardia, the captain of the royal army, has huge respect for all folklore and superstition of the gods. These two advisors scoff at each others' worldviews, but get along with each other well enough to work in sync, and curiously reach the same conclusion that Psyche's unseen 'husband' must be noxious.

This is well-meaning meddling taken to an extreme. The trio convince themselves they've reached an inevitable, Occam's Razor sort of conclusion. They decide that Psyche's husband must be a bestial, foul being at worst, or a tricky crook at best, for else why would he refuse to let Psyche see his face? If the simplest possibility is probably correct, he would surely let Psyche see him if he has nothing sinister to hide. Whenever the possibility that her happy, healthy sister might be speaking total truth crosses Orual's mind, she dismisses it as unfeasible. So her loving interference morphs into intense emotional blackmail with dire consequences. 

The whole of Part One is narrated as Orual's own fervent self defense to shield herself against intolerable guilt. She resents the gods for misrepresenting her and appeals to the reader to agree with her, and judge the gods as capricious, aloof and totally unreasonable. For why make her so incredibly ugly, if they have control over such things? And why remain so silent in response to desperate pleas for answers? How is she supposed to react to their non-response, other than with bitterness and confusion? 

I tell you, it's easy to cheer, 'Yeah, you go, Orual,' and keep turning pages to see if there will be a response to this.

Without divulging plot points, what unfolds is quite jaw dropping. In a nutshell, Orual's own complaint is the gods' answer. It's all to do with humans' successful self-deception. We are adept at pulling the wool over our own eyes to present ourselves in the best possible light. Desperate not to face the truth about our deepest, dodgiest motivations, we make up acceptable sounding jargon that we expect the gods to buy, because we buy it ourselves. Orual discovers one major reason the gods don't seem to answer is that they won't deign to bother replying to insincere babble we think we truly mean. For, 'how can they meet us face to face till we have faces?' Aha, we know when the title of the book springs out to meet us, we've struck gold. 

(I believe Lewis delivers a similar theme in The Magician's Nephew, when he has Digory face Aslan for the first time and face up to his own shady motivation throughout the story, but this book, being written for adults and delivering the culmination of Orual's life story, packs even more of a punch.) 

When it's laid out so starkly, all the pieces slot together. It offers a hallowed moment in the story for readers who pause to contemplate the magnitude of what we've just taken in. All the lead-up in the story, including Orual's reasoning, her twisted thought patterns which seem so seductive and convincing, the half-truths she latches onto that make her life miserable, and the fact that she hasn't considered others' full stories, makes perfect sense. 

It's extremely profound and revelatory, especially because Lewis subtly makes it clear that Orual is a mirror for any one of us. Even folk without her physical ugliness undoubtedly have some mental and spiritual warts and blemishes they take super care to conceal.  

It's a book I'll have to read over again down the track. I've exhausted my store of impressions for now, but I suspect it's the sort of story that will always meet us where we are at with something new. I can't help wondering what I would have thought of it in my twenties, but I'll never know. For now, wow! 

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