Monday 3 May 2010

Persephone Reading Week : Review : Still missing


I have to confess that I read the book for my first review of Persephone Reading Week a fortnight ago. Next time we have a reading week we'll have to plan it so that it starts as soon as I get my hands on the latest titles - having heard about Still missing from Nicola Beauman both when I heard her speak at the Woodstock bookshop last December and when I visited the shop in January, it was a title that I was hugely intrigued to read. I put it on my pile of books to be consumed this week; less than 24 hours later, I was standing by the bookshelves with it in my hands, pretending not to be reading it. I gave in and took myself off to a coffee shop and then the Oxford Botanic Gardens to read it properly.

I was immediately gripped by the opening lines; the reader knows enough about the story to know that it involves the abduction of a small child, yet this is not referred to:

"You could hardly get to age 34 without kearning something about loss. By thirty-four you're bound to have lost your Swiss Army knife, your best friend from fourth grade, your chance to be centre forward on the starting team, your hope of the Latin prize, quite a few of your illusions, and certainly somewhere along the way, some significant love. Susan Selky had in fact recently lost an old battle, for her marriage to the man she was in love with, and with it, many ancillary dreams of more babies and of holding his hand in the dark when they were old".

The abduction of six year old Alex happens shortly after. When he does not return from school one day, his mother Susan immediately rings another mother to see if he walked home with her daughter. Susan's nightmare begins when the daughter says that Alex never arrived at school that day. She rings the police, and moments later an investigation begins. The lead detective, Menetti, reassures Susan that the majority of children do not disappear without a trace and believes it will not be long before mother and son are reunited. But the hours turn into days which turn into weeks and into months and Alex does not return...

There is a hugely poignant moment where Susan, Graham (her husband from whom she had recently separated but who becomes an integral part of her life once more as they wait for Alex's return) and the rest of the team trying to help find Alex decide that they need to refresh the poster campaign about Alex to ensure that it remains within the consciousness of anyone who might see something. Posters will take a while to be made, but Susan comes up with the idea of stamping "Still" in front of the "Missing" on the existing posters, which of course leads to the title of the book.

I won't say anymore about the story, suffice to say that I genuinely did not know what its outcome would be until I turned to the very last pages.

Originally published in 1981, this book might seem somewhat at odds with the rest of the Persephone catalogue which has a focus on the first half of the twentieth century. But it deals with many of the themes and issues familiar from the other books - the role of the mother and of family relationships and the importance of the home as the centre for existence.

It was disturbing, it was full of suspense and I was completely unable to put it down. It is one of the most gripping books that I have read this year, and I remain haunted by the way in which Susan's life changed overnight.

14 comments:

  1. This has certainly piqued my interest. I am very curious to read something so "new" that the Persephone editors chose to reissue.

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  2. This sounds like something to be read during the day when you're feeling strong!

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  3. The relative newness (ha - it was published the same year that I was born!) of Still Missing is definitely a talking-point; I'm curious to find whether, as Lydia mentioned to me, it comes across as timeless.

    I am toying with reading this as soon as possible or finishing Persephone Reading Week with it by reading it over the weekend...

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  4. Ooooooh this one sounds really, really good. Thanks for sharing this with us Verity I am now desperate to read this, I shouldn't have asked Claire not to put me in the competition for a Persephone as this one would almost 100% be the one I would go for, I like books with a bit of darkness and this sounds like it has it.

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  5. Thanks so much for this Verity! I too wondered about buying it and am now sure I will. The film (with Eye of the Needle's Kate Nelligan I think) was really good. Wonder how dated it would look now though!

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  6. "Next time we have a reading week we'll have to plan it so that it starts as soon as I get my hands on the latest titles"

    That makes perfect sense to me: it would have been completely and entirely unreasonable to expect you to wait even one day longer under those circumstances.
    ::grin::

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  7. That's an absolutely fantastic opening passage - and it sounds like the rest of the book lives up to it.

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  8. I was a little disappointed when I saw this on the list. A newish book by an author I know, but I told myself there must be a reason. And clearly there was!

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  9. I just received this book in the mail today--can't wait to get started on it!

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  10. I am not sure if I will read this Persephone title...unfortunately I watched the film based on this story when I was young and I have never been able to think about it without being frightened. I was surprised to see it included into the catalogue.

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  11. This title jars with my ideal Persephone read but never say never I suppose. So glad that you really enjoyed it though!

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  12. Glad you loved it as much as me! Great review!

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  13. I read about this one in the Persephone magazine that was waiting for me when I got home this evening and I thought it sounded amazing. It also reminded me of one of Oprah's bookclub selections - I think it was called The Deep End Of The Ocean?? that looked at a similar story line.

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  14. Oh my, what a brilliant review! I'm now dying to get my hands on this book. I've also seen that a Persephone lunch in June focuses on it so now I want to sign up to that!

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