Helen Smith (1) (1968–)
Author of Alison Wonderland
For other authors named Helen Smith, see the disambiguation page.
About the Author
Image credit: University of York
Series
Works by Helen Smith
The Secret Ingredient 1 copy
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1968-11
- Gender
- female
- Organizations
- Writers' Guild of Great Britain
Crime Writers Association
English PEN - Awards and honors
- IRDP London Playwrights Festival
- Short biography
- Helen Smith is a member of the Writers' Guild of Great Britain, the Crime Writers Association and English PEN. She traveled the world when her daughter was small, doing all sorts of strange jobs to support them both--from cleaning motels to working as a magician's assistant--before returning to live in London where she wrote her first novel. Her work has been reviewed in The Times, the Guardian, The Independent, Time Out and the Times Literary Supplement. Her books have reached number one in the bestseller lists in the Kindle store on both sides of the Atlantic. retrieved 7/16/2013 from Amazon.com]
- Nationality
- UK
- Places of residence
- London, England, UK
- Associated Place (for map)
- England, UK
Members
Reviews
The Miracle Inspector by Helen Smith takes place 30 years in the future. London is no longer a democracy, but run by dictators. This future is misogynistic and patriarchal. Women are not allowed to leave their homes (unless visiting female relatives), must wear a burqa when opening the door (or at any other point where they can be seen by people other than their husbands), are not allowed to work, have no rights or education and must ask their husbands for permission for anything they do. A show more woman is not allowed to use contraception or have a drink without her husband's permission.
There are no schools, children must always be kept inside, men are the only ones who venture past their front doors with any frequency. Once they reach a certain age, men are taken away and never seen again, while women are left to slowly fade away behind closed doors. All these changes were put into effect as men believed it would keep women and children safe from pedophiles, rapists and terrorists. Those three things pushed the city into ruin. There are no planes and the only transport is by car, ship or train. The only people who have cars work for the government- who also police all other means of travelling. Some try to leave, but the possibility of escape is infinitesimal and no one is ever heard of again. The best way to survive is to keep your head down and not ask questions. Create safety out of anonymity.
Lucas works for the Ministry. After the change, divisions were set up for everything, some vital, some pointless. This way they hope to monitor everything. So there are Inspectors of Cats, of Women, of Flowers and then there's Lucas- who is the Inspector of Miracles. Miracles in this future are just as unlikely as in our world, perhaps even more so, but in the new legislation it was decided that "the right to believe in miracles was enshrined in the constitution. And if a miracle is to be believed in collectively, then first it has to be found." So now Lucas spends his days being called out to various "miracles", whether they be claims of the new Messiah or the Virgin Mary in a piece of toast.
Every night he comes home to his young wife, Angela, and they sit in silence. Occasionally, words will pass between them, but for the most part, their marriage is just as bleak as the world they live in. They love each other, but their communication skills are almost non-existent. Lucas claims, "their relationship was also about the silences." He believes they reach each other on a deeper level. This may be true, but there's a constant tension between them. Words go unspoken. As Lucas puts it, "he was too preoccupied with keeping his thoughts hidden, to worry about hers." He constantly fears he'll say the wrong thing, so ends up never saying anything at all.
Lucas' thoughts are written in an odd, almost disjointed style, that perfectly emulates how thoughts occur in the mind. Some don't make sense, are completely irrelevant and utterly nonsensical. We basically get every thought that pops into his head, which is more realistic than the edited thoughts we normally read. It's a hard thing to make work, but it matches the humour and tone of the story very well. There's this odd mix of a very dark world and plot, combined with light and sometimes very British humour. A lot of the lines have very dead-span delivery. For instance, there's a situation where three men are drinking Ribena. Apparently, Ribena has been found to increase a man's life span and his libido. Lucas decides the men must do it for the latter reason, as men don't survive long enough to have to worry about the former.
Meanwhile, Angela is a very lonely and bored woman (for understandable reasons). She spends all day at home and sees and speaks to almost no one, except Lucas- who barely speaks to her at all. Then one day an old poet by the name of Jesmond drops off his life story in her hands. He's famous for his rebellious poems and songs and was close to Lucas' father. But, Lucas doesn't want to see him, so Angela is the one he always visits. When he drops off letters and poems from his past, she can't resist reading them.
But Angela wants to get away. When she brings it up with Lucas, he suggests Cornwall (because he thinks he should say something, but doesn't really expect her to say yes). She agrees and begs him to get them out, take them to Cornwall to start a family and live a free life. The situation in London may be dire, but the rest of the world is as it is now. For the most part, it is a free world (depending on where you are) and a utopia to Londoners. This is the basic plot of the story. Getting to Cornwall. Why Cornwall, because all Londoners want to go on holiday to Cornwall.
Lucas, on the other hand, begins fantasising about other men's wives. Almost every other thought is about sex, almost to a distracting level. There's no point to it and it doesn't go anywhere. After a while, it gets a little irritating, but the story constantly switches between him, Angela and Jesmond. At least for a little while. So it's bearable. As we see more of his character, there is also this uneasy quality about it. He has such a desperate existence, that he feels very much like a man who could go over the edge at any moment. He cares for very little, but then that keeps you safe in this future. He is too young to know what freedom was like, he grew up with this oppressive regime, so I wouldn't be surprised if everyone was the same. Perhaps it's more noticeable with him because we're seeing his thoughts.
Jesmond gets small sections in the book, but for the most part he's unrelated to the plot. He is rallying up a rebellion with his underground poetry- where the androgynous look is all the rage. It's more than a fashion statement, it's a way for women to stay safe and men to show solidarity with them. Baggy clothes hide figures, women keep themselves thin to create a flatter silhouette. They keep their hair short, while men grow it long and keep themselves clean-shaven. This way women can pass as men in the right circles.
Half-way through the book, the situation changes. The story is told more and more through increasingly fractured thoughts. There'a good reason for it, but saying more would spoil it. The effect it gives is great. It creates the atmosphere, builds the tension and causes a growing sense of fear to develop.
The pace quickens exponentially. What starts out as quite a slow book, suddenly becomes a race to the finish line. It's hard not to give anything away, but if you read it you'll understand. So much happens in the second-half. Everything starts falling together and then falling apart.
I would almost say that the second-half of the book is an entirely different story than the first. They are connected through the main characters, but everything else changes. The book really comes into its own in the second-half. The first-half is almost irrelevant. The characters become more real and more important to the reader. In the first-half I was almost apathetic towards the characters, but when they reach the second-half, suddenly I was on the edge of my seat willing them on. Somewhere between the first and second-half, a switch is flipped and everything changes. The second-half will be what I remember of this book, it will be the reason I tell people to read it, it will be what makes me read it again. I will go through the slow, irrelevant first-half time and time again to reach the wonderful second-half.
Like I said before, the pace changes unbelievably quickly and the ending hits you before you know it. I loved the ending. It's very ambiguous, but brilliant. There are so many questions that appear throughout the story and you don't really get answers to any of them. That may annoy some readers, but I found it all the more gripping and all the more realistic. Life doesn't have all the answers. There are some things we will never know. The ending can be interpreted in a multitude of ways. There's no clarity and we don't really know what happened. I didn't know whether to feel happy or sad, empty or complete. Those unanswered questions, will keep the story and its characters with you, long after the final word.
Disclaimer: This book was sent to me by the author. This is not a sponsored review. All opinions are 100% my own. show less
There are no schools, children must always be kept inside, men are the only ones who venture past their front doors with any frequency. Once they reach a certain age, men are taken away and never seen again, while women are left to slowly fade away behind closed doors. All these changes were put into effect as men believed it would keep women and children safe from pedophiles, rapists and terrorists. Those three things pushed the city into ruin. There are no planes and the only transport is by car, ship or train. The only people who have cars work for the government- who also police all other means of travelling. Some try to leave, but the possibility of escape is infinitesimal and no one is ever heard of again. The best way to survive is to keep your head down and not ask questions. Create safety out of anonymity.
Lucas works for the Ministry. After the change, divisions were set up for everything, some vital, some pointless. This way they hope to monitor everything. So there are Inspectors of Cats, of Women, of Flowers and then there's Lucas- who is the Inspector of Miracles. Miracles in this future are just as unlikely as in our world, perhaps even more so, but in the new legislation it was decided that "the right to believe in miracles was enshrined in the constitution. And if a miracle is to be believed in collectively, then first it has to be found." So now Lucas spends his days being called out to various "miracles", whether they be claims of the new Messiah or the Virgin Mary in a piece of toast.
Every night he comes home to his young wife, Angela, and they sit in silence. Occasionally, words will pass between them, but for the most part, their marriage is just as bleak as the world they live in. They love each other, but their communication skills are almost non-existent. Lucas claims, "their relationship was also about the silences." He believes they reach each other on a deeper level. This may be true, but there's a constant tension between them. Words go unspoken. As Lucas puts it, "he was too preoccupied with keeping his thoughts hidden, to worry about hers." He constantly fears he'll say the wrong thing, so ends up never saying anything at all.
Lucas' thoughts are written in an odd, almost disjointed style, that perfectly emulates how thoughts occur in the mind. Some don't make sense, are completely irrelevant and utterly nonsensical. We basically get every thought that pops into his head, which is more realistic than the edited thoughts we normally read. It's a hard thing to make work, but it matches the humour and tone of the story very well. There's this odd mix of a very dark world and plot, combined with light and sometimes very British humour. A lot of the lines have very dead-span delivery. For instance, there's a situation where three men are drinking Ribena. Apparently, Ribena has been found to increase a man's life span and his libido. Lucas decides the men must do it for the latter reason, as men don't survive long enough to have to worry about the former.
Meanwhile, Angela is a very lonely and bored woman (for understandable reasons). She spends all day at home and sees and speaks to almost no one, except Lucas- who barely speaks to her at all. Then one day an old poet by the name of Jesmond drops off his life story in her hands. He's famous for his rebellious poems and songs and was close to Lucas' father. But, Lucas doesn't want to see him, so Angela is the one he always visits. When he drops off letters and poems from his past, she can't resist reading them.
But Angela wants to get away. When she brings it up with Lucas, he suggests Cornwall (because he thinks he should say something, but doesn't really expect her to say yes). She agrees and begs him to get them out, take them to Cornwall to start a family and live a free life. The situation in London may be dire, but the rest of the world is as it is now. For the most part, it is a free world (depending on where you are) and a utopia to Londoners. This is the basic plot of the story. Getting to Cornwall. Why Cornwall, because all Londoners want to go on holiday to Cornwall.
Lucas, on the other hand, begins fantasising about other men's wives. Almost every other thought is about sex, almost to a distracting level. There's no point to it and it doesn't go anywhere. After a while, it gets a little irritating, but the story constantly switches between him, Angela and Jesmond. At least for a little while. So it's bearable. As we see more of his character, there is also this uneasy quality about it. He has such a desperate existence, that he feels very much like a man who could go over the edge at any moment. He cares for very little, but then that keeps you safe in this future. He is too young to know what freedom was like, he grew up with this oppressive regime, so I wouldn't be surprised if everyone was the same. Perhaps it's more noticeable with him because we're seeing his thoughts.
Jesmond gets small sections in the book, but for the most part he's unrelated to the plot. He is rallying up a rebellion with his underground poetry- where the androgynous look is all the rage. It's more than a fashion statement, it's a way for women to stay safe and men to show solidarity with them. Baggy clothes hide figures, women keep themselves thin to create a flatter silhouette. They keep their hair short, while men grow it long and keep themselves clean-shaven. This way women can pass as men in the right circles.
Half-way through the book, the situation changes. The story is told more and more through increasingly fractured thoughts. There'a good reason for it, but saying more would spoil it. The effect it gives is great. It creates the atmosphere, builds the tension and causes a growing sense of fear to develop.
The pace quickens exponentially. What starts out as quite a slow book, suddenly becomes a race to the finish line. It's hard not to give anything away, but if you read it you'll understand. So much happens in the second-half. Everything starts falling together and then falling apart.
I would almost say that the second-half of the book is an entirely different story than the first. They are connected through the main characters, but everything else changes. The book really comes into its own in the second-half. The first-half is almost irrelevant. The characters become more real and more important to the reader. In the first-half I was almost apathetic towards the characters, but when they reach the second-half, suddenly I was on the edge of my seat willing them on. Somewhere between the first and second-half, a switch is flipped and everything changes. The second-half will be what I remember of this book, it will be the reason I tell people to read it, it will be what makes me read it again. I will go through the slow, irrelevant first-half time and time again to reach the wonderful second-half.
Like I said before, the pace changes unbelievably quickly and the ending hits you before you know it. I loved the ending. It's very ambiguous, but brilliant. There are so many questions that appear throughout the story and you don't really get answers to any of them. That may annoy some readers, but I found it all the more gripping and all the more realistic. Life doesn't have all the answers. There are some things we will never know. The ending can be interpreted in a multitude of ways. There's no clarity and we don't really know what happened. I didn't know whether to feel happy or sad, empty or complete. Those unanswered questions, will keep the story and its characters with you, long after the final word.
Disclaimer: This book was sent to me by the author. This is not a sponsored review. All opinions are 100% my own. show less
This review was written for LibraryThing Member Giveaways.
“Everything was on the spectrum from brown to cream, and the overall effect was a sepia-toned display that had been put together by someone nostalgic for a time before Britons had learned to cook, but after they had learned to shop at supermarkets.” - Three Sisters
A good mystery should read like a good magic show. Full of flash, curiosity, misdirects and in the end leave you wanting for more. We may learn what we think is the true outcome, the solving of a crime, but we will never know show more all of what was behind the curtain. It is what makes us pick up the next book in the series. Helen Smith has done this for me with these two novella’s. I want more and more Emily Castle adventures!
I never get tired of a good mystery. A mystery must keep me guessing, be written with a flair for the flamboyant (despite the blandness of colours on the buffet table) and keep me biting my nails till the end. Whatever mystery I am reading must have a unique protagonist combined with a cast of other intriguing characters. It should draw me in and make me part of the sleuthing. Though I have been want to read the new sub-genre of a cozy*, I will forever be a fan of Agatha Christie and Sir Author Conan Doyle. Classical mysteries at their finest.
“The south London sky exploded with a thousand deaths that night“ – Three Sisters
What makes me adore and driven with the need to send threatening e-mails for more more and more Emily Castles Mysteries is the combination of both the classical mystery, the cozy style (because she is an independent female and very smart) and a writing style which is reminiscent of a Hard Boiled Raymond Chandler (several metaphors and allegorical content remind me of The Big Sleep) and sublimeness of David Foster Wallace. The description of the buffet table is just a small example of the beautiful and poetic writing style of the author. I could see the table full of food and feel just as washed out as she was feeling. Each step was a hint, and a hint either leading you towards solving the mystery or down a dead-end.
How she managed to pull this off in under 50 pages with each book is beyond me. It works though, all aspects and conventions of the Mystery genre are not only intact but are more powerful than some of the full length novels I have read. They do not give you time to take a breath, it was non-stop reading with each and the stories kept me hopping. As with their length, Ellen has a shortened period of time to solve this mystery, whether stated or suggested. The surreal evening of Bonfire night (Guy Fawkes night) is a ticking bomb, the party is almost a traveling circus, a side-show pulling up in a covered wagon and pouring out with entertainers that could not possibly all fit inside. Three Sisters is like the wagon, so many distractions it is hard to keep up with what is going on and I felt like I was spinning in circles, despite the title which had me figuring out the main mystery, there were still tons of other blanks I had to fill.
“Sunlight streamed from the tall windows along the corridor and dripped coppery highlights into Victoria’s plaits and Dolly’s liquorice-coloured curly hair; a woman dressed as a child from a story about a tornado induced dream…” Showstopper
Moving onto Showstoppers, Emily is just coming up for air after the Bonfire party. We have several of the characters introduced in Three Sisters who are fleshed out. Emily seems to be coming into her own after the loss of a loved one and her constant temporary state of living. It is another race of the clock, but this time she has to engage with her neighbors, put herself out there more and trust in a few other people as well as own instincts.
These two novella’s, for me a mystery buff at heart (I have my complete Nancy Drew collection to prove it) were the perfect vehicle to drive new fans into a the “bated breath” stage of wait. If you love a good stand alone mystery heroine who has a love for dogs, has not figured out where she fits in life and is a bit too traditional with a setting in a London we do not get to peak at with many other of these types stories.. pick these two stories up and keep tabs on each upcoming books. I hope we will get new adventures soon! show less
It took me a page or two to adjust to British colloquialisms, but after that, it became much easier to read. Smith's style is straightforward and honest, with a tone that is almost offhanded even as she describes abandoned babies. The characters were well-developed, and I loved the oddity of Jeff and Alison's nonexistent relationship and how the unevenness of it was dealt with in a matter-of-fact tone, rather than the usual fluff and angst. The development of Taron's personality was show more enjoyable, as we come to see her as being more than just off-kilter and eccentric.
Smith seemed to be comfortable in her own skin as she writes. Her phrasing and the occasional use of slang made it conversational, which was a relief to read at the end of a long day. The dialogue flowed easily, adding depth to the characters and substance to the story.
Unfortunately, I felt as if too many characters were being explored at once. While it's wonderful for each of them to have their own unique background, a longer piece would make it easier to explore them all. The point of view frequently shifted between characters and an omniscient third party, and I was confused - or at the very least, unsettled - whenever this occurred. The changes are abrupt, making it difficult to follow along and to invest emotionally in the protagonists. Oftentimes, it took a minute or two to realize that Alison was no longer the one speaking. The spirit realm came to act like a deus ex machina, and I still can't quite determine whether or not it's supposed to be real or simply a string of coincidences within the context of the story. All of these things interrupted the process by which I build faith in characters and the world in which they live
Additionally, the sequence of events was a bit hard to understand. It reminded me of Waiting For Godot, where all these things happened, but it was as if nothing had happened at all. With the initial set-up, I was expecting more intricate intrigue than what was presented. The story never actually reached a climax as the lives of the various characters continued onward at the same steady pace in which they had moved throughout the novel. I kept waiting for the turning point that never came.
Overall, this was a fun read. Comedy was mixed in with the randomness, and the combination was sprinkled with comments and the occasional sentence that are both refreshingly truthful and deep. With that being said, a less confusing method of shifting points of view, as well as more varied pacing, would have been appreciated. show less
Smith seemed to be comfortable in her own skin as she writes. Her phrasing and the occasional use of slang made it conversational, which was a relief to read at the end of a long day. The dialogue flowed easily, adding depth to the characters and substance to the story.
Unfortunately, I felt as if too many characters were being explored at once. While it's wonderful for each of them to have their own unique background, a longer piece would make it easier to explore them all. The point of view frequently shifted between characters and an omniscient third party, and I was confused - or at the very least, unsettled - whenever this occurred. The changes are abrupt, making it difficult to follow along and to invest emotionally in the protagonists. Oftentimes, it took a minute or two to realize that Alison was no longer the one speaking. The spirit realm came to act like a deus ex machina, and I still can't quite determine whether or not it's supposed to be real or simply a string of coincidences within the context of the story. All of these things interrupted the process by which I build faith in characters and the world in which they live
Additionally, the sequence of events was a bit hard to understand. It reminded me of Waiting For Godot, where all these things happened, but it was as if nothing had happened at all. With the initial set-up, I was expecting more intricate intrigue than what was presented. The story never actually reached a climax as the lives of the various characters continued onward at the same steady pace in which they had moved throughout the novel. I kept waiting for the turning point that never came.
Overall, this was a fun read. Comedy was mixed in with the randomness, and the combination was sprinkled with comments and the occasional sentence that are both refreshingly truthful and deep. With that being said, a less confusing method of shifting points of view, as well as more varied pacing, would have been appreciated. show less
For the first few chapters, this book seemed flat and I couldn't tell where it was going. Then, with a cold chill, I realized it wasn't flat -- just subtle. And frightening. And very well written. And frightening.
The Miracle Inspector is a futuristic fiction, set in London in the near future. Terrorism has turned everyone paranoid and overprotective. There has been a 'partition' within Great Britain, with London separated by walls from the rest of the country, and the outlying areas show more patrolled by UN and NGO peacekeepers. The specifics are left vague enough that the setting feels eerily close, and possible. The whole thing is one small shifted step from where we are now.
So, the paranoia has resulted in (surprise!) men being in charge, and women being under house arrest for their own protection. Children are highly valued, and there is a huge fear of pedophilia -- why, we don't know. But it means men cannot have any contact with children they did not father. Women stay at home, cover themselves if they step out of the house, and do not have jobs.
Under these circumstances, we meet Lucas and Angela - young, married, in love, and due to the constraints of their society unable to talk to each other and share any intimate thoughts. Sex is ok but feelings are not -- they can be revealed, and they can get you arrested and locked up. People regularly 'disappear.' Lucas's job, oddly, is to inspect claims of miracles -- there are many, out of desperation for attention -- and rate them as true are false. He hopes for one to be true, but so far all are false claims.
The dialogue and interaction between Angela and Lucas is, once you realize the subtleties, sharply and brilliantly written. It's like watching a very tense and perfectly constructed dance. It's heartbreaking, because you know there are no escapes. Eventually, through a situation uncovered by Lucas's job as dream inspector, Lucas and Angela and a small collection of other people are forced to try to escape from London, fearing they will otherwise be 'disappeared.' Their journey is brave, simple, and frightening, splitting them up and landing Angela as 'refugee' in the outside world. The understanding of that 'refugee' status is closely drawn, and made me really really understand how frightening it can be. It's a world of threatening small villages and enclaves, of zoo animals turned loose in the countryside, of small kind acts despite great risk. You'll find yourself rethinking what risk means, what love means, and how small the distance between intimacy and alienation.
A brilliant book -- highly recommended. show less
The Miracle Inspector is a futuristic fiction, set in London in the near future. Terrorism has turned everyone paranoid and overprotective. There has been a 'partition' within Great Britain, with London separated by walls from the rest of the country, and the outlying areas show more patrolled by UN and NGO peacekeepers. The specifics are left vague enough that the setting feels eerily close, and possible. The whole thing is one small shifted step from where we are now.
So, the paranoia has resulted in (surprise!) men being in charge, and women being under house arrest for their own protection. Children are highly valued, and there is a huge fear of pedophilia -- why, we don't know. But it means men cannot have any contact with children they did not father. Women stay at home, cover themselves if they step out of the house, and do not have jobs.
Under these circumstances, we meet Lucas and Angela - young, married, in love, and due to the constraints of their society unable to talk to each other and share any intimate thoughts. Sex is ok but feelings are not -- they can be revealed, and they can get you arrested and locked up. People regularly 'disappear.' Lucas's job, oddly, is to inspect claims of miracles -- there are many, out of desperation for attention -- and rate them as true are false. He hopes for one to be true, but so far all are false claims.
The dialogue and interaction between Angela and Lucas is, once you realize the subtleties, sharply and brilliantly written. It's like watching a very tense and perfectly constructed dance. It's heartbreaking, because you know there are no escapes. Eventually, through a situation uncovered by Lucas's job as dream inspector, Lucas and Angela and a small collection of other people are forced to try to escape from London, fearing they will otherwise be 'disappeared.' Their journey is brave, simple, and frightening, splitting them up and landing Angela as 'refugee' in the outside world. The understanding of that 'refugee' status is closely drawn, and made me really really understand how frightening it can be. It's a world of threatening small villages and enclaves, of zoo animals turned loose in the countryside, of small kind acts despite great risk. You'll find yourself rethinking what risk means, what love means, and how small the distance between intimacy and alienation.
A brilliant book -- highly recommended. show less
Lists
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 14
- Also by
- 3
- Members
- 570
- Popularity
- #43,913
- Rating
- 3.3
- Reviews
- 82
- ISBNs
- 95
- Languages
- 2
