Book 5: "Heartstones" by Ruth Rendell
Monday, January 15th, 2007 17:50![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kittiwakeI was three when she was born and remember with perfect clarity being told I was to have a little brother or sister to play with. This was the way my mother put it to me and I believed her, as what child would not.
The reality is a baby the older sibling is forbidden to touch, for how would the elder one choose to 'play' with the interloper, the thief of a parent's love? By beating it to death, by stamping on its face, by taking the feeble wriggling body to the river and watching the current carry it away downstream. Those are the games to play with a new brother or sister - if the opportunity is given.
A few months ago I read "We Have Always Lived in the Castle" by Shirley Jackson and it reminded me of this book, so when I saw it on the table at Saturday's meet-up I decided that it was time for a re-read.
And since it's only 77 pages long, I managed to read the whole thing on the train home. It's just as good as I remembered, and more like one of her Barbara Vine books really, since it's a dark and twisted tale rather than a detective story.
I've also seen an adaptation of this book on TV, with Emily Mortimer as Elvira, which I'd recommend if it's ever shown again.
The reality is a baby the older sibling is forbidden to touch, for how would the elder one choose to 'play' with the interloper, the thief of a parent's love? By beating it to death, by stamping on its face, by taking the feeble wriggling body to the river and watching the current carry it away downstream. Those are the games to play with a new brother or sister - if the opportunity is given.
A few months ago I read "We Have Always Lived in the Castle" by Shirley Jackson and it reminded me of this book, so when I saw it on the table at Saturday's meet-up I decided that it was time for a re-read.
And since it's only 77 pages long, I managed to read the whole thing on the train home. It's just as good as I remembered, and more like one of her Barbara Vine books really, since it's a dark and twisted tale rather than a detective story.
I've also seen an adaptation of this book on TV, with Emily Mortimer as Elvira, which I'd recommend if it's ever shown again.
