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A review by nesa42
Absent in the Spring by Agatha Christie, Mary Westmacott
4.0
The most dangerous and frightening monsters are the ones that don't seem to be what they really are. Absent in the spring masterfully recounts the terrifying experience of what happens when one of those monsters looks in the mirror and realizes what she is.
Joan Scudamore prefers living in a world of lies than letting the harsh reality destroy her perfect life. She's an empty person who lives in a glass castle she built all by herself so long ago that she genuinely believes it’s made of solid rock. And the mirages of the desert are more real than her whole life. Joan is safe from reality, but this castle has cost her her soul. Time has passed, but she’s been left behind. Joan, the eternal little girl dressed as a woman, the eternal wolf in sheep’s clothing. The monster who stabs her loved ones with a knife (metaphorically speaking) while assuring them she does it for their own good.
Joan doesn’t murder people, but she does murder their souls and spirits, leaving them as empty as her. Joan refuses to let her castle collapse, so she forces everyone to work twice as hard to maintain her fragile illusion. She’s so used to living like this, that her family knows that discovering the truth will kill her, so they decide to play along. They pretend to be actors on a stage with a demanding and impassive audience. As long as her family helps her maintain the illusion, as long as the actors play their roles, Joan and her castle are safe.
But, one day, Joan is left completely alone. This is when her castle starts to crack. Glass is fragile, but once broken it can cut and wound. This is Joan's last chance to accept the truth and rebuild her life, but will she take it? Will she choose her glass castle or the first stone of something truly real? Eyes closed or wide open? Blue pill or red pill? Her lies or her soul?
Joan Scudamore prefers living in a world of lies than letting the harsh reality destroy her perfect life. She's an empty person who lives in a glass castle she built all by herself so long ago that she genuinely believes it’s made of solid rock. And the mirages of the desert are more real than her whole life. Joan is safe from reality, but this castle has cost her her soul. Time has passed, but she’s been left behind. Joan, the eternal little girl dressed as a woman, the eternal wolf in sheep’s clothing. The monster who stabs her loved ones with a knife (metaphorically speaking) while assuring them she does it for their own good.
Joan doesn’t murder people, but she does murder their souls and spirits, leaving them as empty as her. Joan refuses to let her castle collapse, so she forces everyone to work twice as hard to maintain her fragile illusion. She’s so used to living like this, that her family knows that discovering the truth will kill her, so they decide to play along. They pretend to be actors on a stage with a demanding and impassive audience. As long as her family helps her maintain the illusion, as long as the actors play their roles, Joan and her castle are safe.
But, one day, Joan is left completely alone. This is when her castle starts to crack. Glass is fragile, but once broken it can cut and wound. This is Joan's last chance to accept the truth and rebuild her life, but will she take it? Will she choose her glass castle or the first stone of something truly real? Eyes closed or wide open? Blue pill or red pill? Her lies or her soul?