The Lost Children (Oonagh O'Neil #1) by Theresa Talbot
Genre: Psychological Thriller, Mystery, Crime Fiction
Read: 17th July 2018
Purchase: Amazon
★★★★★ 5 stars
(Previously published under the title PENANCE (UK)
THE LOST CHILDREN is a stunning read! Complex, emotional and ultimately gripping, I read this in a day! I didn't want to put it down, despite promising myself "just one more chapter". The topic is a harrowing one, dealing with the Magdalene institutions in Scotland and Ireland in the 1950s and the forcible adoptions, baby selling and cruelty to young teenage girls who found themselves in this situation and shunned from society. Whilst not a true account (as stated in the Author's Note), Theresa Talbot used the Magdalene as a basis for her brilliant debut.
Set predominantly in the year 2000 in Glasgow, the story unfolds between the years 1956, 1958 and 2000 from Galway, Ireland to Glasgow, Scotland. Oonagh O'Neil is an investigative journalist delving into and uncovering the secrets of the Magdalene institutions in the then present day whilst we also alternately follow the story of young Irene Connolly from 1956 in Galway.
It begins with a Prologue of a young girl Sally seemingly wrapping dead babies in cloth and securing them into little boxes of makeshift coffins...and then she hears the little cries from within one of the sealed boxes. Now I have to say, this was an exciting prelude to the story but sadly I was disappointed to find there was nothing mentioned relating to burying the baby heard crying alive - or whose it was - later in the book once the whole story came out. So I did kind of feel what was the point of mentioning it?
So when Father Kennedy dies suddenly in the middle of Mass, questions are raised as to just what his involvement in the Magdelenes was and to what extent. Then a post mortem reveals a substance in his system he was highly allergic to. So was it an accident? Suicide? Or was he murdered? The fact he had an appointment scheduled with Oonagh for that day leads her to think something is amiss. Did Father Kennedy know too much that would put the Church at risk? Was he silenced to prevent him from talking to her?
Oonagh calls in friend DI Davies to look into the priest's death. But while this is an investigative story delving into the past and its secrets, we don't see as much as the DI as Oonagh herself. This is from her perspective as a journalist uncovering the truth rather than from a police perspective. I wasn't sure I would like it but it was written in such a way that it just drew you into its secrets and you wanted to stay to discover the truth yourself.
Despite this, I didn't like Oonagh as much as I have another protagonists. She seemed a little spoilt at times, particularly in the confrontation with her mother after discovering she has a boyfriend. Oonagh feels she should still be grieving for her father who passed away 2 years before, as Oonagh adored her father and still feels his loss deeply. That bit of selfishness aside, it did make her a dogged investigator and good at her job. I didn't NOT like her. I'm sure she will grow on me as the series and her character develops.
Then there is Father Tom Findlay. He worked alongside Father Kennedy at St Patricks before his demise. I liked him, despite his faults. But was he all that he appeared to be? He has secrets too.
I really enjoyed reading the developing story of Irene Connolly, which began in 1956 in Galway. It was sad, horrific and traumatic to say the least. As if the church and Father Kennedy weren't bad enough, what her parents did was despicable! They are supposed to love and cherish her. Instead she was systematically raped by her father, bearing not one but TWO babies, and all she got was "Irene, why are you doing this to us?" and shipped off the the Magdalene institutions. Absolutely disgraceful. She was then given ECT and declared sexually deranged and insane. Her babies were ripped from her and never seen again. But she was just one of thousands. Seeing her story develop, I knew she had a part to play in the current storyline and began to suspect just who she was now.
There are many other characters equally horrible that pepper the story and, in a sense, complete it. They are just not worth mentioning until you meet them.
I love books that switch between the past and present, as I find it helps strengthen the plot as a whole as the two timelines merge into one. And it is done in such way that is easy to follow and not confusing.
THE LOST CHILDREN is a gripping and thrilling read with so many secrets to uncover. Perfect for fans of this genre.
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