Published 29th October 2020 by HQ.
From the cover of the book:
Romilly lives in a ramshackle house with her eccentric artist father and her cat, Monty. She knows little about her past – but she knows that she is loved.When her father finds fame with a series of children’s books starring her as the main character, everything changes: exotic foods appear on the table, her father appears on TV, and strangers appear at their door, convinced the books contain a treasure hunt leading to a glittering prize.
But as time passes, Romilly’s father becomes increasingly suspicious of everything around him, until, before her eyes, he begins to disappear altogether.
In her increasingly isolated world, Romilly turns to the secrets her father has hidden in his illustrated books, realising that there is something far darker and more devastating locked within the pages…
The truth.
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I think I should begin by telling you that this was not the uplifting tale I was expecting it to be. If you are looking for a light and fluffy story, dear reader, this is not going to be it.
Still here...? Ok, we shall begin.
This is the story of Romilly, the Illustrated Child herself, who lives in a dilapidated country house with her eccentric father, and becomes somewhat of a celebrity after he writes a series of intricately decorated books with her as the central character.
On the surface, her childhood may seem free and rather romantic as she wanders the countryside in the company of her one enigma of a friend, Stacey, having adventures that would make the Famous Five proud, and living in a moated "castle" filled with echoes of its previous inhabitants. Her life is filled with nature, and the love and magical tales of her larger than life father. But appearances can be deceptive, as we find out all too well.
For Romilly's past is filled with goings on that she does not understand, and only has vague memories of. There are secrets in her past and her father does not seem keen to tell her what they are. Where is her mother, and why does she not live with them? Why is her father so distracted and reticent about why they are living the way they are? Why is he compelled to portray her as a Peter Pan character that never grows up? And all this is only complicated by the fame and intrusive attention that comes their way as a result of the books - because the public are convinced that they hold clues to the whereabouts of treasure and Romilly has become their own public property.
As Romilly grows up, she begins to realise that things are not quite right. What did happen when she was four years old that changed their lives so much? It is down to her to follow the clues laid down in her father's books and see if she can find out the truth, and the truth when it comes is terribly sad - and I did not see it coming, which I take my hat off to Polly Crosby for! Superb story writing!
Polly Crosby's decision to tell this story through the eyes of Romilly is rather clever, as everything becomes coloured by her pervading sense of bewilderment versus dawning understanding that is appropriate to her age at each stage of the book - and we are with her every step of the heart breaking voyage through time, which makes it all the more emotional.
This book takes us to some dark and distressing places. It is the kind of story that does not simply tug on the heart strings - instead it grips your heart like a vice and rips it from your body, leaving you broken and bleeding on the ground.
There are some very heavy subjects explored in these pages: love, lies, secrets, abandonment, grief, loss, guilt, neglect, anger, sexuality, dementia and the fragility of mental health. It is fair to say that I found much of this very upsetting and difficult to read, but it is compelling reading - beware if you are of a sensitive nature!
Polly Crosby's writing is outstanding and she handles the smorgasbord of difficult subjects beautifully, with both compassion and sensitivity. Interestingly, she makes no judgement on the adults in this tale, in keeping with Romilly's childlike view, even though she bears the brunt of their compulsion to work through their own problems at her expense, but I did struggle with this, as the effect of their behaviour on an innocent child is no less shocking for being able to understand the reasons why they have acted in this way. Is it enough to love your child, however fiercely, if you are complicit in hurting them through your own actions, errors and omissions? I leave you to make up your own minds on this one.
This is mighty impressive work for a debut. Our author has managed to combine elements of a kitchen sink drama; a dark, haunting fairy tale; a supernatural ghost story; a mystery; and a coming of age story into one heart rending novel. It's one that does leave you with questions and the need to talk about the experience you have just gone through, and for this reason I think it would a perfect book club book. I promise you, there is plenty to talk about in these pages, if you are bold enough to make the journey.
The Illustrated Child is available to buy from your favourite book retailer in hard cover, ebook and audio formats from 29th October 2020.
Thank you to Polly Crosby and HQ for gifting me a copy of this book in return for an honest review, and for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.
About the author:
Her first novel, The Illustrated Child, is out on 29th October.
In 2018, Polly won Curtis Brown Creative’s Yesterday Scholarship, which enabled her to finish her novel. Later the same year, The Illustrated Child was awarded runner-up in the Bridport Prize’s Peggy Chapman Andrews Award for a First Novel. Polly received the Annabel Abbs Creative Writing Scholarship at the University of East Anglia, and is currently working on her second novel.
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