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Deep Secret by Berlie Doherty (view source)
Revision as of 13:24, 10 September 2010
, 13:24, 10 September 2010no edit summary
The book is based on the flooding of two villages to build the Ladybower reservoir in Derbyshire and takes place just after World War II. A tiny village, used to the old ways, is issued with a compulsory purchase order so that a reservoir can be built to serve the city and its new ways of heavy industry. Just as a decision about this community tragedy is being reached, the village suffers an individual tragedy in the accidental death of a young girl who lives there. The narrative follows the grieving period for both and in many ways the loss of Grace is a metaphor for the loss of the village. Madeleine, Grace's twin, must find a way to move on and start afresh, and the community as a whole must do the same.
It's sticky with the entire gamut of human experience: love, loss, jealousy, grief, youth and old age. And it's about redemption too - Madeleine does a terrible thing in the aftermath of her sister's death and it's a secret that burns her. Other villagers suffer in similar ways and they must all come to terms with the past before they can see a path for the future. It's beautifully written, of course - sensitive and thoughtful and wonderfully evocative. Each character is utterly credible: the twins with their almost telepathic bond; Colin, the vicar's son, who fights against his prescribed future; Seth, the blind boy, whose disability lends him a sensitivity that is both gentle and wise.
If, like me, you missed this one the first time around, make sure you don't neglect ''Deep Secret'' a second time. It would be a sin.