Book 11 - Child of my Heart

Child of my Heart by Alice McDermott was for me a vaguely disquieting (perhaps the word is sophisiticated?) coming of age novel. Theresa is 15 years old and beautiful - a gift her parents are banking on as they send her out to baby-sit and pet-sit for the wealthy folk who spend their summers on Long Island. Their hope is that she will marry into that wealthier set and bring them up in the world. Theresa may be still a child but she sees the people around her with old eyes, which quickly uncover the tragic secret of her young cousin Daisy, who has come to stay with the family for an idyllic summer holiday.

More disturbing (for me) is her involvement in the bizarre relationships of an 70-year artist's household, whose young wife flounces off to town in a huff, abandoning her two year old daughter to the care of the maid and Theresa. Theresa knowingly watches the artist's affairs and eventually becomes a willing participant. The relationship makes her appear "older", much moer so I suppose than a tumble on the beach with someone her age would have been. However the deliberate way that she becomes with the artist, who could be her grandfather, lays way outside my moral compass and as such I find it hard to empathise with Theresa's actions. I found it much easier to sympathise with her attempts to cover up Daisy's illness and make this summer the high point of her life. A beautifully written but for me uncomfortable read.