Little Gods, By Anna Richards
A gothic tale of cruelty and survival
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Jean Clocker begins a life of struggle from the moment of conception, when Wisteria, her psychotic mother, attempts assassination of the germ inside her but "could not prise her daughter loose". Wisteria underestimates Jean's strength, and in the "battle of birth" is left "split like a rail". Defeated, she whispers, "Heads? How many heads?"
In a nightmarish blend of gothic fairy tale and the very human capacity for cruelty, Wisteria gains revenge by inflicting neglect, starvation and psychological torment. Still her daughter grows "magnificently large, unstoppable". Jean finds relief in the attentions of Gloria, the confectioner's daughter, who is attracted to Jean's ability to endure suffering and her compliance in acting out death scenes in the playground.
But it takes a Second World War bomb that "tore through night like birth" to free Jean from her mother. Jean joins the Women's Civil Defence, which cements her new identity. Her mother, although dead, continues to haunt Jean, whose vulnerability seems at odds with the resilience of her vast body as she forges a deeper relationship with the voluptuous and romance-obsessed Gloria. The undercurrents of repressed desire pulsate when Jean discovers a boy mauling Gloria, his eyes full not of desire but of hatred, "wanting to destroy something which Gloria believed about herself".
The male characters in Anna Richards's novel are weak. Jean's father, who "gave an arm to stop fighting" in the First World War, accepts life with Wisteria as his "punishment" and fades into oblivion. Gloria faces sexual violence before marrying a man who returns from war disappointed to be alive. Jean's own husband abandons her; she continues to grow through a series of surreal, painful experiences.
The prose is lyrical and powerful in its simplicity. Richards's theme is the redemptive power of love, which exposes how destructive conforming to gender expectations can be for both sexes. Little Gods is a startlingly original first novel by a remarkable new talent.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments