The Ghost's Child

The Ghost's Child
by Sonya Hartnett

4/5

Matilda comes home one day to find a young boy sitting on her sofa. They have tea, and she tells him about her past. At that time, she went by Maddy, and she longed for a fairy tale life.

When Maddy finished school, she came home to her family’s house by the sea. Her father asked her what she thought the most beautiful thing in the world was. She answered, “sea eagles.” Her father decided that the two of them together would travel the world in search of the world’s most beautiful thing, since he was not satisfied with her answer. After their travels, she was asked the question again. And she realized that she was the answer her father was looking for.

One day when she was back home, she went to the beach. She saw a young man and found herself walking towards him, scaring away the pelican that he was holding. She went to see him every day after that. She called him Feather. She married Feather, and they moved into a cottage in the forest.

He left one day, to be at his one place where he could be happy. Maddy could not come though, he told her. Weeks after, she wondered why he went to this one place and if he was happy. She decided that she needed to know the answer, so she had a sailboat made, and she set to sea. She saw many things, and spoke to sea life. She found Feather, and got her answer.

When she got back to her home, she left the cottage, unable to life there any longer. She decided she wanted to work in the war. She nursed hurt soldiers, and from there decided that she wanted to be a doctor. From then on she was Matilda. She helped people and then began to age. She was getting older, and lived in a house by herself. She ended her days in that house.

This was a very intriguing book. I was confused with the boy, but by the last chapter, I knew exactly who he was and why he was there. The life that Maddy lived was amazing. She went through so much, and many of those things weren’t so good, which is relatable. Her parents were odd. Her father wanted Maddy to be who she wanted to be, whereas her mother just wanted her daughter to marry a rich man and not care about being happy, which bothered me. Feather was also confusing. He appeared out of nowhere. I was happy they married, but unhappy when he left her. Overall, this was a very interesting book, and was hard to put down. I enjoyed it very much.

*Also reviewed for teensreadtoo.com
Comes out October 14, 2008