The Secret Garden Club by Wendy Lynn Newton

 

One morning three weeks before spring, Hilary Toohey found her beloved husband, George, lying dead in the garden, George having slipped on the wet paving and hit his head, dying instantly.  This is the sad beginning to the sweet, funny, whimsical story of how Hilary came to meet the members of the Secret Garden Club.

Wendy Lynn Newton writes the best dialogue. Hilary and her daughter, Bernie, have great rapport, and Hilary’s interactions with everyone she meets are all gems. There is a misunderstanding  with Hilary getting hold of the wrong end of the stick and causing herself a lot of unnecessary grief while she is already struggling to come to terms with losing George,  as well as trying to help Bernie sort out her life. The Secret Garden Club meanwhile all feel obliged to become part of Hilary’s life, to honour their obligations to George’s memory.

Passages from the writings of Henry David Thoreau through the book are all part of the general feel for love of nature, gardens and gardening. In my imaginary screen adaptation I have cast Asher Keddie as Hilary; I can see Asher delivering those cute, offbeat lines perfectly!

Published by Pan Macmillan.

Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth

 

Elsie Fitzpatrick is 81 years old; she lives on Kenny Lane; “…a peculiar little cobbled street on the periphery of central Melbourne”. She wasn’t always Elsie Fitzpatrick: in 1959 at the age of 15 she was Mabel Waller, the youngest Australian ever to be convicted of murder. She became known world wide as “Mad Mabel”. Elsie tends her beautiful rose garden and keeps her distance from her neighbours, although “enfant terrible” Persephone, aged 7, who lives next door with her mother, Roxanne, is determined to be Elsie’s friend. Elsie already has a friend, Daphne, who is the only one she wants or needs.

Elsie’s peaceful existence is shattered when something happens which draws attention to her true identity and the stories, real and imagined, about her past begin to surface. Reporters begin hounding her wanting what they hope will be all the gory details, until she reaches the point where she feels she has no choice but to trust two podcasters with the story of her life.

This is a brilliant book, written as only Sally Hepworth can write. Elsie speaks with raw honesty which makes this page turner impossible to put down. I’ve never read a Sally Hepworth book I didn’t like and this is one of her very best.

Published by Pan Macmillan

Home Truths by Charity Norman

 

Here is another stunning book by Charity Norman! Livia and Scott and their two children, Heidi and Noah, are confronted by the sudden death of Nicky, the beloved brother of Scott and uncle of Heidi and Noah. Nicky was a sweet, gentle man who, although capable of looking after himself and his little dog, also suffered from diabetes. On the morning of Heidi’s thirteenth birthday Nicky was in his garden when he realised his sugar levels had dropped; in his anxiety he couldn’t get back into his house so he tried to call Scott for help but Scott had lost his phone and didn’t get Nicky’s frantic messages until he came back from bike riding with Heidi for her birthday. 

The story that follows is pure Charity Norman. Everyday lives can so easily be torn apart, and there is always someone around ready and able to do the shattering. Livia believes her life is pretty much perfect but when grief is accompanied by feelings of guilt it creates vulnerability and, unfortunately, if someone wants to take advantage of that vulnerability, now is the time to strike.

The internet is a modern marvel and those of us who were around before its introduction can attest to its great advantages; however, as everybody knows, bullies, chancers and charlatans lurk in the shadows of social media, ready to pounce. 

Home Truths is told as seen through the eyes of Livia, Scott and Heidi. It is a dramatic, suspenseful page-turner in true Charity Norman style and I love that it features the beautiful town of Whitby, home of one of my ancestors, which I’ve had the joy of visiting. I can’t recommend this brilliant book highly enough.

Published by Allen & Unwin

The Serpent Rising by Mary Garden

 

I decided to read The Serpent Rising after reading My Father’s Suitcase in which Mary Garden talks about the violent physical abuse inflicted on her by her younger sister, Anna. 

Mary was a brilliant student but having been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder she was finding it hard to cope with life. She stumbled on Eastern mysticism at an Ashram in New Zealand, after which she decided to travel to India in a search of enlightenment. 

The Serpent Rising is an absolutely fascinating story about a vulnerable young woman who needed help in recovering from a childhood of not being heard while an enormous, far reaching problem was unfolding within her own family. Unfortunately, Mary’s vulnerability was soon seized upon by an unscrupulous guru (and there were plenty of those around) and she relates her extraordinary tale with stunning clarity. I could see India in technicolor as I read, with the mighty Ganges flowing down from the mountains and the profusion of flowers and shrubs all around, as well as the dirt and the dust of the crowded cities.

This is a memoir like no other I’ve read. It is sad, moving, powerful and, ultimately, hopeful.

Published by Justitia Books

My Father’s Suitcase by Mary Garden

 

The first thing I did on finishing reading My Father’s Suitcase was buy a copy of  Mary Garden’s earlier memoir, The Serpent Rising, which I am going to read next. The pattern of Mary’s life was set in train not only by her sister’s mental and physical abuse, but also by her parents’ response to it, and I am keen to read about her reasons for going to India and what happened to her there.

Mary writes with heartbreaking honesty. When abuse happens firstly in a marriage and then in a family and so goes on to become almost a way of life, serious damage is going to be done. I’m trying very hard here not to give away too much of Mary’s story but I am still feeling sad for that little girl hiding in a tree or a cave to escape the injustices in her life.

I am speaking as a second-hand witness to a similar situation but I think, surely, so much damage to all members of a family could be avoided if they were taken more seriously by mental health authorities when asking for help. No favours are being done for anyone when the person causing the damage is cursorily examined and  assessed as not having any problems. When physical conditions are mis-diagnosed, or not diagnosed at all, there can be tragic outcomes; the same can be said and should be recognised for mental conditions.

Bipolar and schizoaffective disorders when undiagnosed can ruin many lives.

This is an important book as well as an intensely personal look into the devastation which can be allowed to happen within a family. It is an absolutely riveting read and it will speak to a lot of people.

I wish Mary Garden a happy and peaceful future.

Published by Justicia Books.