My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟1/2
I am thrilled to take part in the blog tour for Theresa Talbot's heart-wrenching novel The Lost Children, a crime novel with a historical background that gives a voice to the many women who were incarcerated in one of the terrible Magdalen Insitutions. For excerpts, author interviews and more, make sure to stop by other blogs participating in this blog tour (schedule attached).
Book Description:
First in a gripping new thriller series
featuring investigative journalist Oonagh O'Neil. Perfect for fans of Broadchurch.
TV journalist and media darling Oonagh
O’Neil can sense a sinister coverup from the moment an elderly priest dies on
the altar of his Glasgow church. Especially as his death comes as she is about
to expose the shocking truth behind the closure of a Magdalene Institution. The
Church has already tried to suppress what happened to decades of forgotten
women. Is someone also covering their tracks?
DI Alec Davies is appointed to investigate
the priest's death. He and Oonagh go way back. But what secrets lie behind the
derelict Institution's doors? What sparked the infamous three-day riot that
closed it? And what happened to the girls that survived the institution and
vowed to stay friends forever?
From Ireland to Scotland.
My musings:
Mysteries linking present crimes to dark chapter in human
history have always had a strange appeal for me, perhaps because it is
interesting how the echoes of the past still reverberate and affect people
today. In The Lost Children, Talbot bravely tackles one of the darkest chapters
in Ireland and Scotland’s history – that of the Magdalen institutes, asylums
for “fallen women”, girls pregnant out of wedlock or troublesome for society or
the church in other ways. It is frightening to know that there were several
hundred of these terrible institutions in England alone, and that the idea was
so appealing to society that several other countries soon followed suit! Although
I have read previous novels with similar themes, Talbot has a very unique voice
and seamlessly weaves her tale into the present in a way that was both
intriguing and chilling.
As expected, the theme of the Magdalen women and their lost
babies was heartbreaking and infuriating, especially knowing that these events
were still occurring in living history. According to the history books, the
Magdalen Institution in Glasgow operated unchecked until 1958! Irene’s fate
made me want to weep and wail in anguish, with anger welling at the unfairness
of it all and the smug attitude of other characters in regards to her plight.
It is always a credit to an author for being able to evoke such a visceral
reaction in her readers!
I liked Oonagh O’Neill, Talbot’s gutsy and complex heroine –
even though her taste in men was terrible! Perhaps this was one of the reasons
the plight of the Magdalen women was so close to her heart. Unlike our typical
fictional detective, Oonagh is an investigative journalist who is not easily
intimidated or put off her scent. With a sometimes abrasive and secretive
manner that hints at secrets of her own, Oonagh makes for an interesting main
protagonist for other books to come in the series. I also expect to see her
friend Tom back in future books, who provides quite a unique POV that made for
interesting reading, giving the subject manner.
Talbot’s career as a journalist stays her in good stead as
she provides a solid background to her story, and her passion for her subject is
obvious in the sensitivity with which she presents Irene’s chapters. In an
interview about her novel, Talbot stated that she finds it distressing that no
one was ever brought to trial over the injustices inflicted on the innocent
women incarcerated in the Magdalen Institutions, and that society turned a
blind eye on the crimes committed to them. Even though her characters are
fictional, she has used her book to give those victims a voice and to bring
their plight to our attention. The paragraph about baby Patricia had me in
tears and I felt like my heart was bleeding! Due to the subject matter, The
Lost Girls is a somewhat sad and bleak story that prompts reflection about
crimes committed in the past and how they affect generations to come. Tying
this historical component to a present day murder gave it an extra twist that
lovers of crime fiction will enjoy.
Summary:
Whilst somewhat bleak and tragic, The Lost Children will
appeal to lovers of crime with a historical context and readers who enjoy a
strong female protagonist with a passion for justice and the courage to stand
up for the underdog.
About the author:
Theresa Talbot is a BBC broadcaster and
freelance producer. A former radio news editor, she also hosted The Beechgrove
Potting Shed on BBC Radio Scotland, but for many she will be most familiar as
the voice of the station's Traffic & Travel. Late 2014 saw the publication
of her first book, This Is What I Look Like, a humorous memoir covering
everything from working with Andy Williams to rescuing chickens and discovering
nuns hidden in gardens. She's much in demand at book festivals, both as an
author and as a chairperson.
No comments:
Post a Comment