Book: The Dollhouse

Author: Fiona Davis

Genre: Fiction/Historical/Mystery

Summary: When she arrives at the famed Barbizon Hotel in 1952, secretarial school enrollment in hand, Darby McLaughlin is everything her modeling agency hall mates aren't: plain, self-conscious, homesick, and utterly convinced she doesn't belong. Yet when Darby befriends Esme, a Barbizon maid, she's introduced to an entirely new side of New York City: seedy jazz clubs where the music is as addictive as the heroin that's used there, the startling sounds of bebop, and even the possibility of romance. More than half a century later, the Barbizon's gone condo and most of its long-ago guests are forgotten. But rumors of Darby's involvement in a deadly skirmish with a hotel maid back in 1952 haunt the halls of the building as surely as the melancholy music that floats from the elderly woman's rent-controlled apartment. It's a combination too intoxicating for journalist Rose Lewin, Darby's upstairs neighbor, to resist - not to mention the perfect distraction from her own imploding personal life. Yet as Rose's obsession deepens, the ethics of her investigation become increasingly murky, and neither woman will remain unchanged when the shocking truth is finally revealed. -Penguin, 2016.

This is one I've wanted to read for a long time. I remember asking my parents to get it for me and their refusing, on the grounds of its being about dolls and having a purple cover. Eventually they realized that it wasn't purple covered books that was making me gay, but that's another story. I found a copy of the 'The Dollhouse Murders' at a book sale the other day and dug right in.

This is a juvenile supernatural tale, but has more going on than one would think. Amy is at that age when its normal to be dissatisfied and embarrassed all the time, but she has some legitimate complaints. Her parents both work and she's often left to look after her sister Louann. Louann has an unspecified disability that often causes conflict when impulsive Louann damages something at the mall or simply takes over the conversation. Amy feels like she can't make any friends. Louann doesn't want to be left behind by her sister. Wright is sympathetic towards Amy's feelings and Louann herself is a prominent character. As much, if not more, of the plot of 'The Dollhouse Murders' is about the sisters redefining their relationship with each other and maturing as it is about solving a ghostly mystery. Unfortunately the back cover doesn't mention Louann at all and no editions of the book even picture her.

The book begins with a mall trip where Amy feels like her chance to make friends with the new girl Ellen is ruined by Louann. She loves her sister, but she feels like her parents are asking too much. After a fight, Amy runs to her Aunt who is staying in the area to clear out an old family property. Amy's aunt Clare has the idea that Amy can stay with her and help clean up the house for sale and give the sisters a break from each other. Amy is thrilled, Louann is hurt and Amy's mother is disappointed, but the plan goes ahead.

It quickly turns out that Ellen is a more understanding person than Amy gave her credit for and that there is something going on in the house. Amy knows her grandparents died many years ago in an accident, but ghostly lights and sounds coming from the dollhouse in the attic tell a different story. Together, Amy, Louann and Ellen uncover family secrets, heal wounds, and grow. This book still has a lot to offer today and a new edition is scheduled to come out this summer. Pre-order it at your local bookstore, not Amazon, and help ensure the book sticks around for a new generation of readers.

When you work at a library, it's not uncommon for discussion to center around books. So imagine, one day, my colleagues and I are discussing the juvenile classics of the 80s. (By the way, this conversation was birthed while browsing the pages of Paperback Crush by Gabrielle Moss.) From this conversation came a call to read The Dollhouse Murders. I said, sure, why not. Immediately I regretted this. I had far too many books already on my to-read pile. It was Man Booker season, and I really didn't have time for a juvenile mystery about a dollhouse. But I checked out the book anyway.

Fortunately, the copy my library had was the original 1983 hardback. Why was this a good thing? Because it transported me to a very different time. How different? Let's take a look at the novel's description from the flap:

Each time Amy goes up to the attic in the middle of the night, the dollhouse is filled with a ghostly light and the dolls have moved from where she last left them. Even though Amy's terrified, she knows the dolls are trying to tell her something. But what? Could their movements be connected to the grisly murders that took place years before?
Amy becomes increasingly alarmed when her aunt Clare, who owns the dollhouse, grows angry at her questions.
In a spine-chilling climax, Amy and her retarded sister unravel the mystery and liberate their aunt from a terrible burden of guilt. [emphasis mine]

That was the 1980s for you. Amy's sister didn't even have a name. (Fortunately, Betty Ren Wright was much more sensitive to Amy's sister than whomever wrote that copy at her publisher's. Amy's sister is named Louann by the way.) I cringed as I cracked the cover.

I admit my expectations were low. I can be a little bit of a book snob, and The Dollhouse Murders clearly wasn't going to be “my thing.” What more can I say? I was sucked right in. Taking into consideration the intended juvenile audience, The Dollhouse Murders presents an interesting cast of characters, as well as a story that is chilling and riveting. Sure, it's an absurd plot about dolls reenacting a murder, but it's well-written and compelling. It's a mildly scary mystery, not all that different from your average Stephen King story. Sure, for every part King there's one part Judy Blume, but I consider that an asset. For one thing, Blume is far better at creating believable, multi-dimensional characters than King ever was. No different here. Though The Dollhouse Murders was certainly little more than juvenile escapist lit, it was a very entertaining read.

Also a plus, the original author photo:

BAM! Check that out. Make no mistake about that cat's expression: he or she is the real writer here.

Lottie can see ghosts.  In fact, she can talk to ghosts.  But that really isn't that much of a problem because her parents know and support her.  In fact, her mother is like her Watson.

Lottie and her parents own a second hand store.  Her father likes to collect stuff (aka junk) to see in said store.  This is somewhat an annoyance to her mother.  But this time, her father brings back a dollhouse that comes attached with a ghost.

It's a nice little story.  The charaters do have life, and while the story is a bit on the predictable side, it's refreshing to see a family working together, quarreling good naturely, but also truly a family.