Book Review: "Children" by Maggie Clark

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started reading Children by Maggie Clark (April 2011). The back cover synopsis describes this novella as a “chilling tale of new technology, old grievances, and ageless crimes…” The cover image shows a discarded pile of broken and battered porcelain doll heads. Curious to find out what exactly this story was about, I started reading it.  I couldn’t put it down.

The story begins with reporter Chrissy interviewing a woman whose young daughter has gone missing. While investigating this missing child case, Chrissy’s editor forwards her an email titled “Innocents,” which contains a link to a website. Clicking on the link, Chrissy discovers that this website is empty except for a picture of a house. She learns someone has been circulating this link throughout the online community, including school and city officials. Only one thing changes about this website: the image. Each day a different view of the house appears on the website. Over time, viewers are taken from outside the property into the house and, eventually, downstairs to the basement. Determined to understand this mysterious website, Chrissy follows it to the bitter end.

Maggie Clark is a talented writer. Her carefully composed tight, poetic prose was a joy to read. I found myself re-reading paragraphs in order to fully comprehend the depth of the story and its message. It’s amazing how much took place in this story and how well the characters were developed, considering this short fiction had only ten chapters (divided among fifty-six pages).

This story could easily have been made into a good novel. But Clark’s craftiness created a spectacular novella. It has all the meat of a good story and none of the fat. I would definitely recommend Children to readers who enjoy fiction and don’t mind reading electronic books. Please note this novella is only available in digital format.