THE CHILD'S CHILD

An unpublished manuscript, homophobia, unwed motherhood, illegitimacy, betrayal, murder—all are here in Barbara Vine’s (Ruth Rendell’s) fearlessly constructed, gripping novel. After inheriting their grandmother’s huge home, siblings Andrew and Grace Easton decide they’ll divide the house and live together. All goes well until Andrew’s boyfriend, James, moves in. Narrator Sarah Coomes keeps a tight grip on the complex plot and multidimensional characters. A clear parallel is drawn between the lives of the characters in the novel-within-a-novel, who must deal with the provincial attitudes toward homosexuality and unmarried pregnant girls in 1929, and Grace, Andrew, and James’s similar problems in today’s world. Coomes avoids sentimentality, delivering Vine’s psychological insights with cool precision as she clearly demonstrates changing social views and taboos. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2012]