Review: Myra, Beyond Saddleworth
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 2, 2012
This interesting and thought provoking novel asks what would have happened had Myra Hindley not died in prison as the authorities suggested, but was given her freedom to live out the last few months of her life in anonymity. The author has a very difficult job on her hands, as it is fair to say that there were not many who would have wished her to do that, but she creates an interesting scenario and fleshes out the book with other characters. Firstly there are three friends: Beth, Jude and Pat. Beth knew Myra Hindley as a child, Pat as a prison warder and Jude, a journalist, becomes interested in her through writing a true crime book and corresponding with Ian Brady. Beth is having issues with her son, Will, a soldier in the army who she feels is being led astray by a girlfriend she neither likes nor approves of. Secondly, there are people that Myra meets once she is outside of the prison walls and merely another middle aged woman; most notably the kind and gentle Sophie, who takes on Myra (or Maria as she is now known) as a lame duck, never imagining that the woman she is befriending is a hated and convicted killer.Obviously, this is an emotive read. Myra is seen very much as manipulative, unable to stop blaming others for her actions and able to use other people for her own purposes. There are some interesting scenes involving Brady's views compared to hers and the other characters are used with great effect to discuss some of the issues raised in this novel. Myra visits her elderly mother during the book and her conflicting emotions and distress are difficult to read. Although I can understand that some people may not find they are able to read this novel with an open mind, it would be a fantastic book for a reading group, with some really interesting topics for discussion. Whatever you may think of the book, it will surely raise strong opinions and challenge your own.