The Case of the Missing Babysitter

In Search of the Rose Notes by Emily Arsenault.*

A review by Marlyn Beebe.

When best friends Nora and Charotte were eleven, they shared a sixteen-year-old babysitter by the name of Rose. The small, idyllic town of Waverly, Connecticut was considered fairly safe even in 1990, and Rose often walked home alone at dusk. One day, she walked Nora to her house, then continued to her own home. She never arrived, though, and most people assumed that Rose had run away.

Nora never believed that, however. She always knew, somehow, that Rose was dead. Her feeling was proven true sixteen years later when she receives a call from Charlotte telling her that Rose has been found.

Nora, who had left Waverly as soon as she possibly could, at first believes that Rose is still alive. That thought is quickly quashed by Charlotte, who explains that Rose's remains had been found near the local pound, stuffed into a wicker trunk. Although Nora has always been certain that Rose was dead, she is shocked by this, and feels the need to go back to Waverly.

Telling her husband only that she's visiting her old friend Charlotte, Nora drives from her home in D.C. to Waverly, where Charlotte still lives in the house she grew up in. Once she gets there, she finds that for some unknown rason she really needs to know what happened to Rose, and starts asking questions of everyone she can find who used to know her.

As the reader might anticipate, there was much more to Rose's life than eleven-year-old Nora could possibly imagine. Although the adult Nora expects this, the reality completely stuns her.

The characters are believable, though not all likeable, and the story keeps the reader eager to learn what happened to Rose. Although this reviewer found the eventual revelation something of a disappointment, many will probably think it perfectly satisfactory. In any case, the prose is a delight to read and the relationships between the younger characters ring true, as do their perceptions of adult behavior.

*FTC Full Disclosure: Many thanks to the publisher, who sent me a copy of the book for review purposes.

What Is Truth?

Cemetery Girl by David Bell.*

Reviewed by Marlyn Beebe.

Twelve-year old Caitlin Stuart used to walk her dog Frosty in a park near their house, next to a cemetery. One day, Frosty comes home without Caitlin.

Four years later, her father Tom hasn't given up waiting for her to return. He still leaves a key under the doormat for her in case she comes back and no one's home, and refuses to talk to a counselor or therapist.

Meanwhile, Caitlin's mother Abby resigns herself to the fact that she may never see her daughter again, and organizes a memorial service for her at a church that she's started attending regularly. She even puts up a headstone in the cemetery near the house. Unsurprisingly this difference of opinion has caused a rift in the marriage and Abby moves out.

Then, suddenly they hear from the police. Caitlin has been found walking down a deserted road at 3:30 in the morning. She won't say anything about where she's been, or whether she ran away or was taken.

Tom and Abby take her back to the house, and try to get to know their daughter again. She asks Tom not to ask her any questions about her life during those four years. At first, Tom agrees, assuming that she will talk to the police or their psychiatrist, but when it becomes clear that she came returned against her will, he becomes frustrated.

Pushing her for answers, he gets the response:

"Someday I hope you do find out where I was and everything that happened to me...I can tell you the truth will hurt you more than not knowing".

Tom focuses not on the concept that the truth would hurt him, but that she said "everything that happened to me", not "everything I did". He becomes obsessed with learning where she was, and who she was with, certain that if he knows all the details he will find some peace.

Bell's portrayal of Tom as a father made irrational first by his belief that his daughter is alive, and then by his need to know what she was doing during the four long years were gone is compelling. The story is written in the first person, so we perceive everything as Tom would. Despite that, most of the primary characters are portrayed as neither or both good and bad.

The story does begin a little slowly, but becomes more engrossing as it progresses. By the middle of the second chapter, it's tough to put down.

The trailer for Cemetery Girl is one of the best I've seen:


*FTC Full Disclosure: Many thanks to the publisher, who sent me a copy of the book for review purposes.