Why? Perhaps mainly because present Moira wishes to distance herself from past Moira, but also third person as narrative is inherently more believable than first. I wondered if this was due to the use of narrative voice.
The child Moira I grew to like a little, but the adult version became less appealing as the book progressed.
To further contradict the author, she asks us to forgive the adult Moira. For this reason I found the section of the book where Moira is left alone in her dormitory, distressed as the others sneak out, completely incomprehensible and unconvincing. The obvious loneliness perceptible in Moira is the kind that exists on perceiving oneself as an outcast amongst other people not by the simple fact of being alone. For the most part it seemed to me that Moira was a strong, proud character who revelled in aloneness. The loneliness I also interpreted differently. It seems likely that, whilst a difficult child, spared the advent of her sister, or parented more wisely, the outcome would have been very different. By the same token I did not see that the story was predestined by Moira’s nature.
I did see an appeal to her parents which they completely failed to acknowledge… For me, this was the tragedy of the book, and the pivotal moment when Amy’s fate was sealed. I could not see cruelty in an eleven year old. (Although, even as a non-boarding, boarding school survivor, of mercifully brief duration, I feel sufficiently expert to say that Locke sounded relatively innocuous.)īut according to the author the reader is expected to condemn the harsh cruelty of the eleven year-old child, but pity her loneliness… I read the opposite. The young Moira isn’t an immediately likeable character, but I did feel a certain amount of sympathy towards her, particularly during the Locke boarding school era. The story is mainly carried forward by the reader’s quest for the truth, and the assignment of blame.
Early in the book it becomes apparent that eventually Amy will end up in a coma. The story of young Moira and older Moira run concurrently, the later parts narrated by Moira herself. The basic premise is that a youngster (Moira) elects to leave for boarding school, rather than suffer the presence of a younger sister (Amy). Huh? Well, I suppose if you have to take an opposing view, you might as well go to the top and contradict the author… Having put off reading Oystercatchers, because it looked difficult (wasn’t) and I also expected, as an eldest sister, to feel uncomfortable (a little,) I did, in the final analysis, like this book.Īnd then I read the author’s commentary at the end.
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