review - whisper down the lane
4/5 Stars
Pub Date: Apr 6, 2021
2021 Goodreads Goal: 92/150
It's 1984 and Sean and his mother are restarting their lives in a new town. His mom works so hard and Sean just wants to make her happy. He doesn't want to tell her that he's being bullied at school.
When she spots the bruises on his arms, she ask if his teacher Mr. Woodhouse was responsible. Mr. Woodhouse is his favourite teacher, but she looks so sad, and he knows she'll be happy if he says the right thing, so he says yes.
After all, this is just another game they're playing. A story they are creating together. But the story is getting out of his control. As parent talks to parent and more and more children come forward, everything twists. Sean knows he should say something, that this isn't fun anymore, but so many people are playing along now. He's only five years old.
It's 2013 and Richard is a middle school art teacher. He's built a good life. He has a wife and a stepson and a job that he loves, but events from his past are starting to repeat themselves. A rabbit is butchered, and a student in his class comes forward with accusations that sound very familiar. Accusations about a boy named Sean.
Steeped with references to the Satanic Panic of the 80s, this novel is a claustrophobic and sympathetic look at the actions that turned into the McMartin preschool trials. A fascinating case if you're not familiar.
My only issue with the story was some pop culture references that didn't work with the timeline, but overall that's kind of small beans.