The Memory Child

I had loved Steena Holmes previous 2 novels, Finding Emma and Emma's Secret. They were full of great characters and I especially loved the relationship between Emmy and her grandfather Jack. I therefore dove at The Memory Child desperate for more of the same from Holmes.

The book opens with Diane and her newborn daughter Grace who, in the absence of her husband Brian, is living with her nanny and ex nurse Nina. We join them on Diane's first day back at work in her high powered job only one month after the birth of her daughter. Immediately there are sinister undertones such as the mysterious pills Nina keeps dishing out to Diane, the disinterest she has for her charge and the noteable absence of any communication from Diane's husband Brian. Underpinning all this foreboding is the story of Diane's mother who whilst suffering from post partum psychosis took the life of her baby and herself and Diane's fear the same thing might be happening to her.

This dark undertone continues throughout the whole book and builds us up to the big reveal near the last 10%. This would have been a great reveal if I hadn't already figured out the big plot twist about 5 chapters earlier and so was just biding my time. I felt the element of surprise had been ruined and I also felt the ending was a little rushed from the point the plot was revealed.

I feel deeply with this book that what was set out to be a story of post partum psychosis actually missed a huge opportunity to tell that story. Instead, and this is difficult to detail without ruining the book for those who haven't read, the events which happened to Diane become the explanation more than being a tale of post partum psychosis. I loved the way the book was written from the perspective of Diane in the present time and flashbacks from her husbands perspective throughout the pregnancy. however to achieve a book which really told the emotional side of post partum psychosis we needed chapters from the perspective of Charlie, Diane's sister, as she observes Diane's life or we needed to have flashbacks to Diane's mother's story. Instead we are focused on the big plot twist and lose lots of the real emotion along the way. It is an opportunity missed and I actually feel that had the author avoided the big dramatic plot twist and focused on the tale of a mother, husband and child an altogether stronger story may have emerged.

This is not to say I didn't enjoy the story, I was pulled along and found it engaging and entertaining. I wouldn't say it was badly written just perhaps trying to be all things to all people. I would absolutely read her next novel based upon her earlier work.