Reviewed by Mick
Wednesday's Child
Reviewed by Mick
Wednesday's child is an exceptional story that gets right under your skin. We are confronted by an extraordinary holiday tale relived through the eyes of a mature woman who recounts her passionate experiences as an eleven year old. Meet the family, meet the sister and make sure you don't have something on the stove because you won't get to it!
This story is a treasure. Little gems are scattered throughout and the reader is rewarded again and again finding symbolic references at every turn. The writing is power packed and although it sometimes tried just a little too hard it is, for the most, a wonderful journey of discovery. I could visualize every tender moment and for a while I was actually in that caravan amongst the bottles.
Lines such as - "My father was a big man, who stood between me and the sun, leaning like a hollow tree. Creaking with age and filling with emptiness." - were visually stimulating and a great example to any writer who frequents this site. The transformation from present to past were handled delicately and served to further the story which finished strongly in the present.
I found myself disappointed only once. I felt that the sister was dealt with in the end a little too conveniently. Although the mother is mentioned in the present the sister plays no part. Perhaps the author could have dealt with this, even briefly. It could be remorse, curiousity, death or some other plight. After all, the story is centered around the sister and warrants some sort of present-day mention.
The power of this story was such that at one stage I could not help but laugh at one particular scene and then immediately felt incredibly guilty. It was as though THAT family were watching me watching them!
I'm not sure how much of this story is based on fact or how much of it is fashioned from imagination. But I don't want to know - that to me is the mark of a very good story.
Reviewed by © Mick
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