Some novels are not created to be enjoyed but to
inspire, educate, shock, grip or horrify. Gillian White manages to do all these
things in The Witch’s Cradle. It took me longer than usual to read this book,
simply because the tale is so dense with event and so drenched in emotion that
I was unable to read more than a portion at any one sitting.
The inclusion of short quotes from that evil
medieval book, The Malleus Maleficarum (another title on my ‘to read’ list)
points the reader to the author’s views of events and the depiction of the central
heroine. And, heroine she is. Misguided, naïve, ignorant, intelligent,
forceful, needy, determined and courageous, Cheryl battles against forces both
external and internal in her desperate fight to do what she feels is best for
her children. Husband, Barry, emerges from youthful sulkiness and self-defeat
to become a mature and pragmatic adult.
The villains, and they are real, appalling and
credible people, are the sort of people you will want to hit on sight. I won’t
give names here, as the clever way in which the tale is written allows for any
of a number of characters to be good, bad, wicked, angelic, ordinary or
impressive. I dislike clichés but this is a roller coaster of immense proportions.
Don’t read it before you go to bed if you’re in
any way sensitive about justice, family welfare, women’s rights, the politics
of expediency or the growing gap between rich and poor. Or, if you must, at
least read or watch something light and fluffy before you put your head on that
pillow. I had three nights of seriously interrupted sleep whilst reading this
book. You have been warned.
Mostly very well written, there are odd passages
where a lack of attribution makes it unclear who is speaking. There are
occasional places where tense is a variable factor. I have my suspicions that
these apparent lapses are, in fact, deliberate techniques by the author to
place in the reader’s mind the sense of utter confusion and disorientation so
frequently experienced by Cheryl as she passes through several sorts of Hell.
The denouement builds compellingly and, during
this part of the book, I was unable to put it down until I had finished it,
regardless of other circumstances. The very last two pages remain something of
a mystery to me, in the sense that they introduce an element of fantasy that is
not present throughout the rest of the book. But I think the author is trying
to express ideas through the eyes of the protagonists in this: I just don’t
think this one aspect has worked as well in these two pages as it does
throughout the rest of the book. But it’s probably me and my own prejudices
here. Who knows?
Suffice it to say that I’m more than glad that I
read this book. It isn’t a piece of work that can be labelled enjoyable or
entertaining. But it is a compelling read and the characters are so well
crafted that the reader becomes intimately involved with them to the extent
that it becomes impossible to leave them to their fate. I found I must discover
what happened as each episode unfolded and led to yet another. As an exposé of
the ‘fly-on-the-wall’ documentary, this works superbly. I shall never watch
another without this tale informing my credibility.
Yes; I recommend this book. But it comes with that
warning: be prepared to be kept awake and to have some of your precious
preconceptions given a severe bashing.
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