Sheila Dalton

The Girl in the Box was a compelling book which was hard to put down, and left me thinking about the story long after the final page. It is a psychological mystery, the mystery being not who did it, but why. Why would a girl rescued from a horrendous existence in a jungle in Guatemala kill the very person who rescued her, took her in, and is trying to help her? The girl, Inez, is mostly non-verbal, but everyone who meets her is drawn to her beauty and innocence between bouts of violence and show more anguish.

The author takes us right inside the minds of the people involved in helping Inez, along with all their own issues and imperfections. A series of flashbacks provides the back-story and keeps you turning the pages and trying to understand what happened. Some parts of the story require the suspension of disbelief, such as how a Canadian psychologist could waltz into the embassy in Guatemala with a non-verbal girl in tow, and leave with a visa for her and permission to take her home to Toronto. Nonetheless, once you accept that premise, the rest of the book is very realistic and fascinating. Ultimately, the story belongs to Caitlin, partner of the murdered psychologist Jerry, in her search to uncover the truth and try to find closure in her grief which is coupled with a very real affection and sympathy for Inez.

Highly recommended. show less

"Was it possible to keep loving someone who had destroyed my life?"

I've done really badly with review copies from LibraryThing in the past - I had two thrillers turn out to be uber-religious proselytising. However, this one (which I wasn't all that convinced by on the blurb) was a revelation - it was the cause of failing-to-go-to-bed-because-of-book, which is always a good sign for a book.

Psychoanalyst Jerry goes to Guatemala to track down some shamans and talk to them about the use of drugs show more in therapy. What he finds is an abused Mayan girl, to whom he could give a better life in Canada. His partner Caitlin is very understanding and co-operates with his plan to bring Inez back to Canada for political refuge and therapy, but when Inez is found holding a marble lamp over Jerry's dead body, Caitlin's world is shattered. She can't figure out why sweet, mute Inez would kill Jerry so violently. And thus Caitlin's story begins...

The characters in this novel were far better constructed than I had expected. Both Caitlin and Jerry are deeply intellectual, sympathetic people, although Jerry is quite free-spirited and Caitlin more given to unpredictable bouts of anger. Inez is a terrific creation - sweet tempered and loving but with a terrible past which flares in nervous outbreaks. The supporting characters (Margaret, Inez's live-in nurse; Michael, Jerry's fellow analyst; Molly, Caitlin's confidante) are kept to a minimum in number and thus also developed strongly.

As a murder mystery, this one does not play by the rules - we know who the victim and perpetrator are right at the start. The mystery is the motive - and the suspense is kept up throughout the novel; we get an idea of the villain pretty early on but the explanation comes very late.

Definitely worth a read - not a book I would have bought but one I am very glad to have read! show less

Set in 17th century Britain, this is the tale of Lizbet, a village girl from the fishing town of Teignmouth. Sent to get new boots by her mother, Lizbet returns to find the village decimated and the townsfolk, including her beloved parents. gone. She sets off to London with Elinor, a girl from the workhouse who had hidden out whilst the pirates attacked. Together, they brave the streets of London , where they risk jail and flogging for being vagrants. They stumble into a store belonging to show more an eccentric and kindly Frenchman who takes a special liking to Lizbet. Under his patronage she lives a privileged but solitary life under strict instructions never to leave her new home. After winning his trust, Lizbet yearning for the sea again persuades him to take her to sea on his ship. Here they are attacked by pirates and Lizbet is given the traditional pirate ultimatum – join us or die.
Having already really enjoyed ‘The Girl in the Box’ by Sheila Dalton, I was really looking forward to reading this new book and I wasn’t disappointed. It’s Dalton’s meticulous research that I enjoy so much. I live in the West Country where much of the book is set and although I’m very familiar with tales of smugglers, I frankly had no idea about its piratical history in terms of the slave trade.
Like most bookworms I love a good read, but enjoy it so much more if I learn something new along the way, and Dalton knows how to satisfy both criteria. I thoroughly enjoyed this swashbuckling tale and I loved how Lizbet’s character developed. She goes from quiet village girl to female pirate of the high seas, without ever losing her feminine touch. A highly recommended read. show less

The book begins in 1983 with Canadian psychoanalyst Jerry's trip to Guatemala where he discovers Inez, a mute, possibly autistic and probably traumatized girl whose parents, out of fear, are keeping in a windowless shed. The girl's parents beg Jerry to take her back to Canada which he agrees to do. The story then shifts to Jerry's partner Caitlin, several months later and the discovery that Jerry has been killed by Inez.

We eventually find out why but this is no straight forward thriller. The show more Girl in the Box is an ambitious, thought provoking and intelligent novel which leads the reader to consider their thoughts on psychological treatments; the possible dangers of psychoanalysis; politics and civil war in Guatemala and the ethical issue of how much sympathy you could have for a girl who has killed your partner.

A dense and satisfying read though I'm not sure I'd recommend it to everyone. Read it if you are prepared to go off on unexpected tangents at times and stay with characters who are not always easy to understand and if you want a psychological novel which is more cerebral and wide reaching than the average psychological thriller! show less