Elizabeth Delo ~ Becoming Liz Taylor
Synopsis
Val, a widow living in Weston-super-Mare, spends lonely evenings dressing up as the movie star Elizabeth Taylor. It seems to be a way of coping with the loss and sadness she has experienced in her life. One day, when Val sees a pram left unattended on the seafront, on a whim she kicks off the brake and walks away with it...
Review
This was such an unusual book. While the synopsis may be about an elderly woman abducting a baby, Becoming Liz Taylor is so much more than that. Val has had a difficult life since losing her youngest child and then her husband in quick succession. Her need to become Liz Taylor is a way for her to escape, to pretend she has the life of someone beautiful and successful.
Val is no villain; she is a lonely, sad old woman who lost far too much when she was young and is now estranged from her living son. The further she travels, the more she believes her own lie and her grief takes over until she can no longer see the truth. Although we can only imagine the distress of the mother whose child she stole, Delo manages to make us root for Val and not blame her for the choice she makes with the little one.
As we learn more about Val's life, it becomes more poignant; we also see how her way of escaping has shaped her son and affected their relationship. Delo keeps us reading because we cannot see any possible resolution for this situation and we have to know. The ending - when it comes - is a little disappointing, but leaves us to imagine a variety of situations based on how we feel Val should be treated.
Poignant and heartbreaking, this is a fantastic exploration of grief and how it affects us, long after a person has died.
Thanks to Allen & Unwin for my proof copy. Opinions my own.
No comments:
Post a Comment