The prologue was a door opening, beckoning me into this fascinating story and within a few pages I was captivated.
For me, The Little Friend has a dreamlike quality. The story progressed, in at times a slow dragging pace and at others raced so swiftly I could barely catch my breath.
Nine year old Robin Cleves is murdered, and with this tragedy our story begins. His sisters Allison and Harriet are but four years old and a baby at the time and they have no memory of that day. But for the adults things are very different and life becomes a before and after.
This is not a whodunnit, Robins death is at the core of everything but this is Harriet's story. Harriet's feelings, emotions, troubles and thoughts. Harriet's misunderstandings, rebellions and adventures. Harriet's determination and courage. This is the story of how miscommunication, exaggeration and neglect, can bring about devastating consequences.
Robin's death and the mystery surrounding it is tangible throughout, the consequences reaching far into the future, from Charlotte's breakdown to Harriet's emotional distance to her family and her need for knowledge, fact and the truth.
The characters are rich in detail, personality and nature. From Grandma Edie and the aunts with their small town lives, to the Radcliffe's and their inevitable cycle of self destruction.
Walking through the Cleve household I could feel the dust on my feet, the unbearable heat suffocating me, the piled up newspapers and clutter forcing me to try and remain calm as claustrophobia closed in on me.
I loved every page of this book and would recommend it to anyone who loves a story with depth and detail, with sadness and despair, with heart and adventure, with soul.
The Little Friend by Donna Tartt
Published in 2002 by Bloomsbury publishing.
isbn 9780747573647
I was given a copy of this book as a gift.
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