Review of Alice McDermott's "Child of My Heart", a story of the precarious span between childhood and adulthood.
"Child of My Heart" is a quiet novel that pulls you in a thread at a time. From the first page you see things through Theresa's eyes, viewing the world as if you were 15 again, on the cusp of life.
One of the things I enjoyed most about this novel was its softly colored, loping pace. Theresa has a way with children that transcends the page and quiets the reader, engaging you without dictating the story. Seeing her cousin Daisy, her neighbors' children, the negihborhood eccentrics, her charges (pets and children) and adults through her eyes makes the summer seem warm, drowsy and somehow all too short. Theresa's way with children and animals lends a pied-piper feel to her character that gives the book its lighter moments.
The foreshadowing that surrounds Daisy could easily become heavy handed, but McDermott manages to keep even this plot point balanced on the edge between carefree hope and sadness without weighing the story down. With the same even hand McDermott walks us through a glimpse at poverty and drinking (the Morans), a sexual awakening, Daisy's unnamed but constantly present health issues, and the twisted side of marriage. By allowing us to see these things through the still-hopefull gaze of an adolescent in transformation to adulthood, it softens them, and weaves them into the summer landscape, somehow lessening their blow without diminishing their import.
At the close fo the novel I found myself wanting more fo the story, but just like the hazy days of summer, every good story must come to an end. Besides, after her awakening to adulthood, Theresa's story into that winter would become a much different one in tone and texture. Best to leave the story golden and shimmering, like memories of your last great summer.
Tags: Alice McDermott Child of My Heart
