Shy Creatures
Set in a 1960s London psychiatric hospital, Shy Creatures is the story of Helen, a thirty-something unmarried art therapist who becomes involved in helping a mysterious new patient. William Tapping has spent more than twenty years living a hidden life in his aunts’ house. When he arrives at the hospital, his hair and beard haven’t been cut for years and he won’t speak. Helen sees William is a talented artist, and, with her interest piqued, she gradually uncovers the story of William’s past.
As the novel moves forward with Helen’s story, it moves gradually backwards in time, with chapters describing William’s life back through the decades to the incident in 1938 after which he lived hidden from the world. It’s an interesting and effective structure, and in William’s reverse timeline, his aunts, the three Tapping sisters, are both entertaining and enjoyable to encounter. The mystery of the past works toward resolution in parallel with Helen’s efforts to help William, as well as deal with issues in her own life, not least her relationship with a married man and co-worker.
Shy Creatures is a gently told story which nevertheless doesn’t pull its punches over the challenges the characters face. Gothic touches – a dead magpie in the fridge, post-war/war-time privation, the perils of boys’ boarding schools, dead chickens, sexual misconduct, and of course the psychiatric hospital settings – give the story an ominous undercurrent and tension that kept me turning the pages toward a satisfying conclusion.
