THE BELOVEDS

4 stars out of 5

There was a little girl who had a little curl
Right in the middle of her forehead;
When she was good, she was very, very good,
And when she was bad she was horrid.

-Mother Goose Nursery Rhyme

It's hard to believe there's a more horrid girl than Elizabeth Stash (a.k.a. Betty). She's paranoid, narcisstic, psychopathic, sociopathic, and oh yes, a murderer.

So what's not to love? Nothing, if you ask her. In her view, she's perfect - and perfectly willing to blame everyone else in the world when things don't go her way. 

From the time her younger "Beloved" sister Gloria was born, you see, Betty was deprived of her rightful first-born status by a mother who clearly loved baby sister best. And from there, it's downhill all the way. Not only did near-angel Gloria steal Betty's mother, she stole her best friend Alice and Henry, the love of her life. To add insult to injury, Henry, married sister Gloria; but as it turns out, that wasn't the mother of all snubs. No, that happened when the girls' mother died, leaving the family home, dubbed Pipits, to Gloria and Henry. And now Betty - who believes in her heart of evil hearts that the house should be hers - sets out to set things right.

The entire book is narrated by Betty, thus exposing her ever-more-delusional plans and plots  to first, get the property back, and later, to get revenge on everyone she's convinced has wronged her. Emphasis on everyone; in addition to Gloria, Henry and Alice, there's her art gallery owner husband Bert, cantankerous downstairs neighbors at her London apartment building, Gloria's elderly cleaning lady; the list goes on and on and on. 

I'll stop here and say if you don't enjoy watching an already demented mind become more sinister by the day, this probably isn't your cup of tea. Plenty happens, but it's always shaded by Betty's twisted perspective, which is enhanced by copious amounts of gin and a few tranquilizers. As a student of psychology, I found the story riveting right up to the end; but that, alas, is where my enthusiasm ends. I rather felt as if I'd just been dashed in the face with a bucket of cold water - it's that abrupt. All I'll say further is that if it's closure you want, you'll be disappointed (I'll acknowledge, though, that in many ways, it's appropriate given the rest of the story).

All in all, its quite an interesting and different tale. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Beloveds by Maureen Lindley (Gallery Books, April 2018); 336 pp.