A Helping Hand: Celia Dale

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I really enjoyed the story that is on its face rather benign, following a middle aged English couple and their elderly house guest, but what at first seems ordinary turns quietly horrific as Celia Dale unmasks what is really going on in this quiet suburban home. Hmm, I think comparing anything to Shirley Jackson sets a certain precedent, and whilst this was definitely similar in ways it didn’t quite deliver on the delicious sinister energy I was hoping for (though it was sinister but not quite with the same vibes!

Fingal smiles as ‘gleefully’ as a ‘bride’; and Lena and Mrs Evans make up the bed with a rubber sheet in case of ‘disgusting’ accidents. At first, all is sweetness and light at the Evanses following Mrs Fingal’s arrival; but slowly and stealthily, the tone beings to change. This retired couple have a very lucrative racketeer where they take care of old ladies while they steal her pension and finally their will. I don't think the style is anything too special, but it's good and it works and honestly, that's the most important thing.

It’s bloodless in its entirety, yet quite chilling in its portrayal of the cruelties and interactions of everyday life. Mrs Fingal, a wealthy widow, finds the couple a refreshing change to her resentful niece and their understanding and sympathy to her situation, her loneliness and need for companionship, makes them the perfect people to look after her.

Post navigation ← The Mookse and the Gripes Podcast – Episode 37: Hotel Novels Simple Passion by Annie Ernaux (tr. It's a good thing that I am one of those readers who doesn't need to find something likeable with the characters in a book because with only one or two exceptions, the people involved in this story are absolutely vile. But maybe I've read too much of this sort of thing lately as I was definitely hoping for something darker.

It’s fascinating how suburbia so quickly became a place in books and films where white picket fences (or lace curtains), could conceal horrors. In fact, I wondered if you might have read it already, especially as Celia Fremlin’s name keep popping up as a potential soul sister to Dale. We use Google Analytics to see what pages are most visited, and where in the world visitors are visiting from.

Without spoiling anything, the theme of this book is something that tends to happen quite often today as people are generally selfish by nature. After all, the Evanses don’t want Lena getting a whiff of what’s actually happening back at the house in case she disturbs things. I was delighted to see it popping up in your weekend miscellany the other day as it’s such a great book. For those who think they’ve seen everything the crime genre has to offer, this is an example of how it can keep rewarding. Originally published in the 1960s "A Helping Hand" was recently reprinted by the publisher and I can see why, as this novel reads like it could have been written yesterday.For fans of Shirley Jackson, Roald Dahl and Muriel Spark, A Helping Hand is a sharp and nasty slice of darkness, and a reminder that the real horrors of this world can all too often be found behind discreet net curtains and the quietly nondescript. Even after finishing the book, you find yourself smiling, but also feeling uneasy with what you just read. I think it’s the apparent ‘normality’ of the setting that makes it so frightening -the fact that stories like this could be playing out behind the net curtains of seemingly ordinary and caring homes.