(1961 - Rupert Hart-Davis, Soho Square
London)
Dedication:
For Iris Birtwistle
Dilla, a vulnerable and sensitive child, is born and brought up in a large
country house with its lake and gardens by an adored but remote mother, and
a father who takes refuge in alcohol. At the age of eight her mother becomes
seriously ill, and Dilla's life is changed. She moves to London to stay with
an unsympathetic aunt.
Her mother tragically dies, and although later Dilla herself marries and has
a child, these things only combine to heighten the conflict within her. At
both conscious and unconscious levels she struggles to resolve the legacy of
a violated and unfulfilled childhood.
Although so many novels have been written about childhood, there is
something in Jennifer Lash's work which is both exciting and unusual. A
strange and haunting atmosphere permeates the whole book, as though events
it describes were seen through gauze curtains, softening yet adding
enchantment to the things beyond, and, as at the theatre, giving one the
tense feeling of impending mystery.
with love and gratitude
for her constant support
and encouragement
