Truth Be Told

Kent the garden of England! So they say! But as we all know weeds will still grow no matter how perfect the garden appears to be. Kate Andrews is a thirty year old council born and bred single mother who lives her life for her daughter Sadie & will do anything for her only child. Kate dreams of the princess fairy tale ending but with her own construed web of lies this is looking very unlikely. Certainly when her daughter’s father is married to her friend and neighbour, that’s without the fact he isn’t even aware of his daughter’s presence, and that her dear little daughter thinks her father is dead. Kate can be seen toying with the reveal of the truth throughout the novel. The lie not only could destroy her relationship with her daughter forever but will have a massive domino effect on all what she knows, friends and family may even disown her, Frankie definitely will, and the fear that Frankie may even do something worse like put a knife in her is all too much for Kate to bear, so she continues the lie until the point she has no other alternative as lives are on the line, and not just hers and her daughters relationship. Kate’s friends have described her as being a calm, patient and a genuine person who is seen as their ‘Dear Deidre’ of the Street that’s until something dark and unforgivable happens. Her daughter’s unexpected pregnancy at the delicate age of 13 was enough for Kate to question herself and her priorities as to how this could have happened. Kate discovers her daughter was raped and that rape was orchestrated by such a close friend of the family, actually a blood relative, it was the son of her daughters father, her mates son, her daughters half brother. Kate would never have described herself as being warped but until you experience such perversion you can never really predict how anyone will react to such trauma and as we see with Kate the nicest of folk can still have evil locked away deep down inside them it really just depends on what it is that provokes that evil. Kate has a burning desire for revenge, a revenge that consists of slow torture and then eventual death. The pain seems to be consuming Kate but her desire to act upon those unfamiliar twisted visions of cruelty are overwhelming. The truth of her daughter’s father comes to light in which you see a father have to choose between the love for his warped son or the blood bond he has with his daughter. Kate will most certainly have to abandon her princess fairy tale dream as her already forbidden true love will soon become her arch enemies protector. The complex clash of trying to be a good citizen trapped in a world where drugs and violence dominate all are something Kate is all too familiar with but never did she think she would end up at the heart of such criminal activity. The many distractions that Kate experiences throughout the novel range from struggling with finances to lying to everyone she is supposed to love! No matter which way she turns, cleaning seems her only option to gain some sort of financial security. Being a single mum, from a council estate Kate is learning that her choices are very far and few between. Kate is seen to question society as a whole, and her short burst of further education has provoked even more questions, certainly around that of class, women’s rights, politics and capitalism, which can be seen woven into the storyline and through that of the characters struggles and constant dilemmas. Kate ends up finding herself in bed with William which is something Kate has tried to stay away from for the past 13 years and what a drama that brings to her world, sleeping with her daughter’s secret daddy and her mates other half was not good for her anxiety. Kate was battling with herself, her head was on full speed mode, the constant daily dilemma’s that she was trying to deal with but as soon as she thinks she has it under control, she finds out she is pregnant. A pregnancy, was history repeating itself? The never ending lies, the attempted muder of William White JNR and the arrest of her daughter are all more obstacles for Kate to jump over. Then there’s the fire that she sees herself, her newborn baby and William escape from. When she finally thinks things may be settling down William disappears from her life leaving her a lonely single parent once again. Sadie the daughter of Kate and William, (although William is unaware of this fact and so is Sadie, until the end of the novel) it is her who can be seen as a symbol for strength and hope. Her ambitious nature could well have been crushed due to the rape that she experiences at the age of 12 and an unexpected baby at the age of 13 which are all factors that should crush her however she has a loving supportive mother and this seems to have given her strength, without her even realising it. The point is: You only need one parent that loves you to come out of the ruins of a fire and survive, as such. Her hope of life being kind after such trauma is remarkable and her ambitions are the key to future happiness. Sadie is a good girl, polite and well mannered but after the rape and the baby she does become a little unruly, drinking and smoking but as quick as she goes down that dark path she soon gets focused and determined to make something of herself. Sadie not only has to deal with the rape and the baby, she also finds out her father isnt dead but he is actually alive and she has known him her whole life and she hates him. The theatre is her saviour and that is what seems to be keeping Sadie focused. When Jack unexpectedly comes into Sadies world he really is her turning point. Jack hasn’t got the most loving and supportive parents and it is here you see how selfless Sadie is and how much she wants Jack to feel love and kindness like she has, all the while still dealing with her own internal trauma. Sadie has an accidental encounter with WJ whilst she is shearing the blue roses in the garden and she stabs him. Sadie is arrested and the whole truth is brought to life, she gets justice which is a big factor in her healing. William White the father of the perpetrator, the father of the victim and also the local drug dealer, can be seen to highlight the issues that surround that of a lower social working class man and the choices that are on offer for him. It would appear that William the criminal could be a ‘symbol for the lower social working class men and some of the reasons why they turn to criminal activity to earn money and survive.’ The questions that surround education, poverty, inequalities and capitalism can be seen through that of the character William. William in the end delivers a terrifying violent ordeal to that of the perpetrator, he is seen to mutilate and violently murder the perpetrator. Aunt Laney, Kate’s best friend is another full on character however she is not from the lower social working classes and is seen to have plenty of money and a luxurious care free life, still drugs and alcohol seem to consume this character. Her battle with her secret lesbian desires and her own parents deaths see the character spiral out of control. She is a funny character, full of fun and laughs but deep down she is holding onto some painful experiences. I think Laney is the ‘symbol for the stigma around the LGBT community and addiction.’ Frankie is the partner of William White, Kate’s friend and also the mother of the perpetrator and can be seen as the symbol for ‘a victim of rape and drug and alcohol addiction.’ The abuse she suffers throughout her marriage to William from his father can be described as sickening, at points he made her have sex with the family dog. Frankie lived a colourful life where brothels really were the norm. Her own mother would sell her for a fiver. Frankie really is the party girl, she just wants the latest of the latest and doesn’t really care how she gets it. Her language really imitates that of the lower social classes and their dialect and at points can be seen as a completely different language. She likes to swear a lot and probably isn’t even consciously aware of herself and her behaviour. Her love of fashion and everything the 21st century has to offer like the whole fakery of the era, Frankie is a walking fake. A loud mouth coke head some would say, but deep down you see Frankie does have a heart and it would appear her dysfunctional behaviour is purely the repercussions of a dysfunctional childhood that of neglect and abuse. The sexual divulgence that some of the characters experience only adds an extra thrill and excitement to the story. Naughty illicit love affairs and illegal engagements lay amongst such deprived poverty stricken worlds. It’s the love and lies and deep desire for revenge that are the vehicle that drive the novel forward and in the end are responsible for the exposure of an explosive set of truths. So many lies yet so much love! Survival is a theme throughout the novel as well as betrayal and love. The story really is about the everyday life of the lower social working classes and what some have to deal with to survive let alone stay sane.