Review: Archie’s Cri de Cœur
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 10, 2014
Eleven-year-old Vanessa (Vannie) has lost her mother and is left with her inattentive father and younger brother, Robby, for company.  Anxious to move away, Vannie’s father rents out the house they have been so happy living in as a family, and they move to a cottage on the estate where he works as the Director.  He is so busy planning events and running the estate, Vannie and Robby are more-or-less left to their own resources. Despite the lack of food, Dad, who needs as much looking after as the children do, has forgotten to go shopping, and failed to turn up with the promised take-away. Vannie is at a loss and Robby keeps crying hunger. Unable to deal with what little food is available, Vannie takes a walk in the grounds.““I want to cook dinner tonight,” she says out loud.  “But what can I make?  Number one, I don’t know how to cook.”"Without warning, a formally-dressed young man appears from nowhere and helpfully answers her question.  He offers Vannie a quick and easy recipe to try. The mysterious stranger introduces himself and they talk for a while.  Seeing him sitting on a nearby bench, Vannie notes, to her alarm, she can see right through him.  She later thanks him and he disappears without trace.  At this point she realises she has been talking to a ghost.Thereafter, ‘Archie’, the ghost, continues to manifest himself to Vannie, always with helpful tips and recipes, until he finally puts in a request for some help in return.  Still grieving for her mother, Vannie is flabbergasted by Archie’s cri de cœur, and battles with her inner self about the rights and wrongs of it all.  All she really wants to do is live a normal life.  Vannie shares the secret of Archie with her best friend,  Tammy, who is thrilled at the prospect of meeting a real ghost, and off they go to the library to find out who Archie really is.Meanwhile, the family have begun to enjoy Vannie’s cooking.  Needless to say, no-one has any idea her mentor is a ghost, nor that certain romantic plans may be afoot.Though vastly different, this book put me in mind of Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Canterville Ghost’. The spectres in both stories have a certain rakish vitality and pizzazz, neither are scary, and both need the help of a child to leave this earth in peace.Getting Back to Normal also offers a great line-up of characters, all of which are well-developed and extremely likeable;  ranging from Aunt Mayda to Robby’s feral cat, Theodore.  There is a sweet little sub-plot about the sensitive Robby rescuing Theodore. He had been feeding him at their old house.  Left behind, he does not believe the new tenants will look after Theodore properly, and sets out to rescue him and bring him back to the cottage; very much against his father’s wishes.  But, Robby perseveres and the outcome is worth all the tension.This well-written story, told from Vannie’s perspective, makes for a fast, easy and very enjoyable read.  It is also fun.  I hadn't planned to read this book when I did.  I opened it to glance at the first paragraph and I kept reading through to the end.  It is that sort of book.  It draws the reader straight in and there’s no escape.  With lots of secrets to unfold and plenty of surprises along the way, it’s hard not to stay focused.Although Archie can be generally considered a friendly ghost, and not at all scary, there is one small scene which is a tad frightening.  In it, Archie reveals another aspect of his personality.  For this reason I would urge caution when reading with children under eleven.  This does not detract in any way from the fact it is an excellent book with a great plot, and I highly recommend it.This review is also published at Mungai and the Goa Constrictor [...]