“Will the truth destroy everything?”

  • Book: The Hidden Child
  • Location: London, Surrey
  • Author: Louise Fein

Review Author: Yvonne@FictionBooks

Location

Content

OMG! I am almost at a loss for words and that’s unusual for me! There were times when I really didn’t think I would be able to finish reading this book. However on reflection, now that it is over, I truly believe this to be my best storyline of 2022 so far and a ‘must read’ for any historical or social history, fiction fan.

My often bumpy journey, evoked just about every emotion there is going, from extreme shout out loud rage, through to emotional sobbing meltdown, and just about every stage in between. Rating the book is really almost superfluous, any review purely and simply subjective and so much a matter of personal opinion, which I can guarantee for most, will be as divided as my own thoughts were. I think the whole experience was made even more troublesome because of my recent, lengthy run of WWII stories, which have predominantly focussed on the Nazi’s single-minded goal of creating a superior Aryan race and the lengths to which they were prepared to go to achieve it; without me realising that here in the UK, we had already researched and countenanced such a terrible scenario for our own future, long before Hitler had even come to power. Finding the right words to offer any true justice to the review of a storyline so disturbingly controversial, challenging, and so bravely written with such authority, is difficult to the point of being almost impossible, without being disingenuous to the author, who has based the story on some of her own personal life experiences.

In my effort not to give away too many spoilers, here is just a sketchy overview of the storyline…

Coming from a lower middle class background and with the cruel hand of fate having struck her unfortunate family so many times, Eleanor and her younger sister Rose, find themselves alone in the world. Eleanor is therefore overjoyed, when she meets and falls in love with, the much older Edward Hamilton, a war hero who falls head over heels for Eleanor at first sight and is also willing to welcome Rose into the family, when she becomes his sister-in-law. Edward always admits to his ‘new wealth’ status, inherited from his frugal father, however just how humble his beginnings were, is one secret amongst many, which he guards well, even from his new wife. Unfortunately it transpires that much of Edward’s life is built on deception and lies, one of which, if it ever became public knowledge, would damage his moral compass beyond repair. The other has the power to destroy his carefully garnered reputation and status within government, the education establishment and society, among his many esteemed friends and colleagues.

The circumstances which drew the couple together have also decreed that they have a shared interest in eugenics, with the development of a tiered education system for the country, based on a child’s physical and mental capacity; the development of special schools for the under-achievers; enforced sterilization for the parents of ‘defective’ children; and residential colonies for those adults and children who don’t meet the criteria for this new society without misfits. Unfortunately, after a few happy years of recognition and reward, the couple’s lives begin to unravel spectacularly, when their own four-year-old daughter, Mabel, is diagnosed with epilepsy. In their utopian view of the country, this infliction can only be the result of inherited bad genes, so Edward immediately questions Eleanor’s family credentials, without considering his own background to be of any significant worry. Mabel has to be hidden away at all costs, especially when Eleanor declares herself to be pregnant with their second child, so a mystery illness is invented and Mabel is shipped off to one of the specialist ‘colonies’, where the concoction of drugs, so barbarically administered, seems sure to kill her much more quickly than the epilepsy itself.

As Mabel’s reported decline hastens by the month and with Eleanor banned from visiting her ever again, the usual mother’s love for her new baby son, Jimmy, is difficult to muster. So Eleanor decides to fill her days helping her husband by writing up his research papers, although relations between them are at an all time low, with every fibre of Eleanor’s being screaming at her to save her daughter. Edward has not been quite as careful at covering his tracks as he thought he had been, when it comes to some of his shady dealings and an ever meticulous Eleanor, soon notices some alarming discrepancies, both in Edward’s research findings and in their own personal finances. When confronted, Edward tries to deny any perceived wrongdoing and a hitherto supportive Eleanor finally snaps. Standing up to her husband in a very unusual show of strength and with the help of Rose’s French partner, Marcel, of whom Edward is most disparaging without ever having met the man, and two very supportive and forward thinking doctors, Eleanor snatches Mabel from the colony and disappears with her, as a new programme of non invasive treatment is organised in an attempt to reverse or subdue some of the more violent epileptic tendencies.

Left alone with his baby son, the predicted financial crash finally happens and Edward’s despair and sense of loss knows no bounds. He takes a long, hard look at himself and his code of ethics and decides that he doesn’t much care for what he sees. What he really wants from his life, is the love of his wife; to raise his family, including Mabel, in the best way he knows how to; to concentrate his efforts and dedicate resources to the reform of a fair education system for all; and to welcome Marcel into the extended family without judging him and finding him lacking. Methodically, Edward sets about unravelling his past misdemeanours and extricating himself from a potentially toxic regime, where everything is black or white and there is no ‘middle’ ground. Now all he needs to do is win back the trust of those he loves and holds most dear – but how?

An important and unconventional work of historical and societal fiction, which has meticulously researched details being deftly and intricately woven into the fabric of a well structured and highly atmospheric, family saga of monumental proportions, despite its relatively few number of pages. Sympathetically written from the heart, with some beautifully descriptive narrative and dialogue offering a wonderful sense of time and place, despite the short time span of events, which seemed a lot longer than the two or three years it actually was. Concise chapters are well-paced and fluently narrated alternately in the voices of Eleanor and Edward, with a few ‘guest appearance’ interludes by the voice of epilepsy itself, which added authenticity and realism to the storyline, as if I really needed reminding of the horrific vision of the humanity for the future, I was bearing witness to.

Powerful, intense, highly textured and thought provoking, this immersive, multi-layered storyline also touches upon and challenges, so many other moral issues and societal mores of the times. Edward has rigid pre-conceived ideas about the politics of the left and has made his mind up not to countenance accepting Rose’s partner, Marcel into the family, as their relationship is so different from the norm, with Rose willing to work to keep them, whilst Marcel makes his name and builds his reputation, as an artist. It isn’t until he knows of Marcel’s family background and pedigree, that he is willing to extend the hand of friendship, although by then Eleanor and Mabel have already been adopted as honorary French in-laws. Edward also learns the hard way what it is to have a wife, who although generally compliant and submissive to her place within the household, finds sufficient voice and resources to challenge his views when she needs to, particularly when it comes to protecting her young. He discovers a quiet admiration for this new and assertive Eleanor, vowing to treat her as more of an equal, with a much louder voice, in the future. He also learns the hard way, what a lack of moral compass exists in the self-styled ‘upper’ classes, where ‘do as I say, not as I do’ must surely be their motto, placing his relationship with their rather shallow nouveau riche friends, into a completely different perspective. Edward also discovers the true meaning of humility and bravery overcoming cowardice, although it comes ten years too late and when there is precious little time left in which to make reparations.

Not too large a cast of characters to keep track of, meant that I was able to stand back and assess their individual merits, as there were so many complex personalities. There were many amongst their number, who were duplicitous, shallow and completely unreliable. Whilst others were easier to empathise with, as they were more emotionally vulnerable and genuinely believable. Author, Louise Fein, did an excellent job at visually defining them in their individual roles, so that either love them or hate them, they were all addictive and authentic to the part they played in the storyline. What really came through for me, in the development of the main characters of Edward and Eleanor, was that no matter how much status and wealth you create for yourself, your true roots and instilled principles, will always be at the core of everything you do, no matter how much you try to deny them, and you will only make yourself miserable by attempting to change them and indeed, yourself.

What always makes reading such a wonderful experience for me, is that with each and every new book, I am taken on a unique and individual journey, by authors who fire my imagination, stir my emotions and stimulate my senses. This story was definitely one of a kind, having the power to evoke so many feelings, that I’m sure I won’t have felt the same way about it as the last reader, nor the next, so I can only recommend that you read The Hidden Child for yourself and see where your journey leads you!

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