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The Mistake
The past isn't dead. It isn't even past …
Jodie Garrow is a teenager from the wrong side of the tracks when she falls pregnant. Scared, alone and desperate to make something of her life, she makes the decision to adopt out her baby – and tells nobody.
Twenty-five years on, Jodie has built a whole new life and a whole new family. But when a chance meeting brings the illegal adoption to the notice of the authorities, Jodie becomes embroiled in a nationwide police investigation for the missing child, and the centre of a media witch hunt.
Did something sinister happen to Jodie's baby the night it was born? The fallout from Jodie's past puts her whole family under the microscope, and her husband and daughter must re-examine everything they believed to be true.
An utterly engrossing exploration of what happens to an Australian family, seemingly just like any other, when a long-buried secret surfaces and a mother's dirty laundry is aired in front of the entire nation. The Mistake brilliantly explores the media's powerful role in shaping public perceptions and asks the haunting question: can we ever truly know another person?
Jodie Garrow is a teenager from the wrong side of the tracks when she falls pregnant. Scared, alone and desperate to make something of her life, she makes the decision to adopt out her baby – and tells nobody.
Twenty-five years on, Jodie has built a whole new life and a whole new family. But when a chance meeting brings the illegal adoption to the notice of the authorities, Jodie becomes embroiled in a nationwide police investigation for the missing child, and the centre of a media witch hunt.
Did something sinister happen to Jodie's baby the night it was born? The fallout from Jodie's past puts her whole family under the microscope, and her husband and daughter must re-examine everything they believed to be true.
An utterly engrossing exploration of what happens to an Australian family, seemingly just like any other, when a long-buried secret surfaces and a mother's dirty laundry is aired in front of the entire nation. The Mistake brilliantly explores the media's powerful role in shaping public perceptions and asks the haunting question: can we ever truly know another person?
256 pages, Paperback
First published February 22, 2012
9 people are currently reading
883 people want to read
About the author
Wendy James
41 books185 followersWendy James is the celebrated author of eight novels, including the bestselling The Mistake and the compelling The Golden Child, which was shortlisted for the 2017 Ned Kelly Award for crime. Her debut novel, Out of the Silence, won the 2006 Ned Kelly Award for first crime novel, and was shortlisted for the Nita May Dobbie award for women's writing. Wendy works as an editor at the Australian Institute of Health Innovation and writes some of the sharpest and most topical domestic noir novels in the country.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
October 21, 2014
Aussie author Wendy James has a brilliant book in The Mistake. The incredible role of the media in putting the ‘facts’ out there, and therefore shaping everyones opinions, be they true or false, complete or partial, makes for very provocative reading.
Jodie Garrow has a wonderful life, she is happy and extremely contented with her husband Angus, who is about to run for Mayor, and two gorgeous children, Hannah and Thomas (Tom). But all that changes when Hannah goes away on a school excursion to Sydney, where she breaks her leg in extremely dubious circumstances, and as fate would have it, is taken to the very hospital where Jodie spent some very private and very secret time 25 years ago, a place she never wanted to set foot into again.
So begins the media witch hunt, the horrors of 25 years ago, as it is discovered Jodie had a baby girl, whom she adopted out illegally, telling no-one, not even Angus, and now the police are involved in searching for the little girl. As the fallout from Jodie’s past threatens to destroy everything she holds dear, and she is being accused of being a baby murderer, her family seems to be falling apart. Hannah doesn’t know her mother anymore, Angus has retreated into silence after his initial support, and Tom hides away in his room as much as possible. All their friends have disappeared, they have no support anymore, life is unbearable.
The absolutely amazing twist at the very end of this book had me stunned, I certainly didn’t see it coming. I would highly recommend this book to everyone, it was harrowing, and an absolute knock-out of a read!
Jodie Garrow has a wonderful life, she is happy and extremely contented with her husband Angus, who is about to run for Mayor, and two gorgeous children, Hannah and Thomas (Tom). But all that changes when Hannah goes away on a school excursion to Sydney, where she breaks her leg in extremely dubious circumstances, and as fate would have it, is taken to the very hospital where Jodie spent some very private and very secret time 25 years ago, a place she never wanted to set foot into again.
So begins the media witch hunt, the horrors of 25 years ago, as it is discovered Jodie had a baby girl, whom she adopted out illegally, telling no-one, not even Angus, and now the police are involved in searching for the little girl. As the fallout from Jodie’s past threatens to destroy everything she holds dear, and she is being accused of being a baby murderer, her family seems to be falling apart. Hannah doesn’t know her mother anymore, Angus has retreated into silence after his initial support, and Tom hides away in his room as much as possible. All their friends have disappeared, they have no support anymore, life is unbearable.
The absolutely amazing twist at the very end of this book had me stunned, I certainly didn’t see it coming. I would highly recommend this book to everyone, it was harrowing, and an absolute knock-out of a read!
March 29, 2012
The first thing I was struck by when I read this book was the striking similarity to the Kelli Lane case (involving a water polo player who was charged with the murder of her baby when she couldn’t prove it had been “unofficially” adopted out). I’m not sure if this novel is loosely based on that or whether it’s just an eerie coincidence – in any case, whatever the inspiration for the plot, this book is an absolutely compelling read.
One of the first things I really liked about this story was how quickly it got to the point, without any drawn out lead up. Jodie Garrow has been harbouring a secret for almost twenty five years and, as often happens, it is revealed in the most unlikely way – through a series of unusual events that all thread together to create a personal disaster.
The impact on Jodie’s family is enormous. Suddenly the woman they have always known as a wife and mother is under huge public scrutiny and a vicious hate campaign. The kids are targeted at school and her husband, an aspiring mayoral candidate in their small community, has to put his political aspirations aside. While they publicly stand behind her, each struggles to deal with the bombshell and act out in their own way. Her husband struggles with panic attacks, her teenage daughter dabbles in drugs and alcohol and her son withdraws into himself.
The story is told both in present time and flashback to the 1980s, when the lead up to Jodie’s unplanned pregnancy and subsequent birth occurred. This is done seamlessly, without creating any confusion in the plot. Newspaper articles and TV interviews are also weaved neatly into the storyline and are absolutely spot on in their depiction of how media speculation and public opinion converge to create a juggernaut that is almost impossible to control. The author captures a small community perfectly – the class structure, the weight of public expectation, the teenage ambition to escape and be anonymous.
I had mixed feelings about Jodie. On the one hand I could sympathise with her appalling upbringing and could understand her desire to move up and better herself. On the other, I found her passivity disconcerting, especially when she just continued to go through the motions of her life without seeming to have any real emotional breakthrough. She was a fascinating character, though, and one I came to understand more as the novel built to its stunning conclusion.
Overall The Mistake is an amazing book that had me hooked from start to finish and provided a huge amount of food for thought. From the precise writing style, to the realistic dialogue and the steady yet gripping pace of the storyline it is a real winner.
One of the first things I really liked about this story was how quickly it got to the point, without any drawn out lead up. Jodie Garrow has been harbouring a secret for almost twenty five years and, as often happens, it is revealed in the most unlikely way – through a series of unusual events that all thread together to create a personal disaster.
The impact on Jodie’s family is enormous. Suddenly the woman they have always known as a wife and mother is under huge public scrutiny and a vicious hate campaign. The kids are targeted at school and her husband, an aspiring mayoral candidate in their small community, has to put his political aspirations aside. While they publicly stand behind her, each struggles to deal with the bombshell and act out in their own way. Her husband struggles with panic attacks, her teenage daughter dabbles in drugs and alcohol and her son withdraws into himself.
The story is told both in present time and flashback to the 1980s, when the lead up to Jodie’s unplanned pregnancy and subsequent birth occurred. This is done seamlessly, without creating any confusion in the plot. Newspaper articles and TV interviews are also weaved neatly into the storyline and are absolutely spot on in their depiction of how media speculation and public opinion converge to create a juggernaut that is almost impossible to control. The author captures a small community perfectly – the class structure, the weight of public expectation, the teenage ambition to escape and be anonymous.
I had mixed feelings about Jodie. On the one hand I could sympathise with her appalling upbringing and could understand her desire to move up and better herself. On the other, I found her passivity disconcerting, especially when she just continued to go through the motions of her life without seeming to have any real emotional breakthrough. She was a fascinating character, though, and one I came to understand more as the novel built to its stunning conclusion.
Overall The Mistake is an amazing book that had me hooked from start to finish and provided a huge amount of food for thought. From the precise writing style, to the realistic dialogue and the steady yet gripping pace of the storyline it is a real winner.
February 26, 2012
The carefully constructed and comfortable life of Jodie Garrow, a forty- something housewife and mother, unravels after a chance encounter reveals her closely guarded secret putting her at the center of a police investigation and under intense public scrutiny. At barely 19, Jodie gave birth to a baby girl in a small suburban hospital and The Mistake focuses on determining the fate of the infant, as well as exploring the effects of the subsequent accusations and suspicions on Jodie and her family.
Unusually, James makes little attempt to garner sympathy for Jodie from the reader. She is presented as an immaculately coiffured, socialite wife of a lawyer with political ambitions, who reacts to the building maelstrom by abdicating responsibility for both her past and present. She is seemingly willfully ignorant of the repercussions of her secret being revealed, particularly in regards to the effect on her teenage daughter, Hannah. Jodie simply drifts around the house in a haze of some sort, relying on her husband to manipulate the system to her advantage by exploiting the privileges their money and connections afford her, certain that if she ignores the problem it will simply all go away. Luckily, the third person narrative also reveals Jodie's past as the story unfolds, giving us a glimpse into her very difficult background engendering if not sympathy, then some understanding of her character.
The complexity of James's protagonist forces the reader to consider their own assumptions based on appearance, class and circumstance. This is further explored as the author shares the media storm that engulfs Jodie and her family. With very few facts and based primarily on a handful of photos interpreted with malice, Jodie is victimised by the media and by extension the public. The media is not at all circumspect about the case, interpreting her 'faults' - her styled blond hair, pearl necklace, privileged lifestyle and reserved manner - insinuating that Jodie's ambitions led her to murder her infant daughter and her financial status is protecting her from swift legal action. Jodie becomes either a pariah or an object of curiosity in her small town amongst all the publicity, total strangers make judgements based on spurious facts on the internet, in newspaper columns and even her mother, unable to resist the lure of a few thousand dollars, fails to defend her. Her husband's mayoral candidacy is also scuttled and her children are ostracised.
The perspectives of Angus, Jodie's husband and Hannah, their fifteen year old daughter, are also explored through the narrative. Both Angus and Hannah are shaken by Jodie's revelation, despite having their own secrets. The intense pressure of the situation they have found themselves in magnifies the small cracks in the veneer of this 'happy enough' family, which also includes son, Tom and tears it apart.
A stunning debut novel, the tension builds as James moves both the story and the characters towards an uncertain conclusion. This is a thought provoking novel that explores themes that provide and insight into contemporary life. Part psychological/crime thriller, part family drama, The Mistake defies genre conventions and simply delivers a compelling story.
Unusually, James makes little attempt to garner sympathy for Jodie from the reader. She is presented as an immaculately coiffured, socialite wife of a lawyer with political ambitions, who reacts to the building maelstrom by abdicating responsibility for both her past and present. She is seemingly willfully ignorant of the repercussions of her secret being revealed, particularly in regards to the effect on her teenage daughter, Hannah. Jodie simply drifts around the house in a haze of some sort, relying on her husband to manipulate the system to her advantage by exploiting the privileges their money and connections afford her, certain that if she ignores the problem it will simply all go away. Luckily, the third person narrative also reveals Jodie's past as the story unfolds, giving us a glimpse into her very difficult background engendering if not sympathy, then some understanding of her character.
The complexity of James's protagonist forces the reader to consider their own assumptions based on appearance, class and circumstance. This is further explored as the author shares the media storm that engulfs Jodie and her family. With very few facts and based primarily on a handful of photos interpreted with malice, Jodie is victimised by the media and by extension the public. The media is not at all circumspect about the case, interpreting her 'faults' - her styled blond hair, pearl necklace, privileged lifestyle and reserved manner - insinuating that Jodie's ambitions led her to murder her infant daughter and her financial status is protecting her from swift legal action. Jodie becomes either a pariah or an object of curiosity in her small town amongst all the publicity, total strangers make judgements based on spurious facts on the internet, in newspaper columns and even her mother, unable to resist the lure of a few thousand dollars, fails to defend her. Her husband's mayoral candidacy is also scuttled and her children are ostracised.
The perspectives of Angus, Jodie's husband and Hannah, their fifteen year old daughter, are also explored through the narrative. Both Angus and Hannah are shaken by Jodie's revelation, despite having their own secrets. The intense pressure of the situation they have found themselves in magnifies the small cracks in the veneer of this 'happy enough' family, which also includes son, Tom and tears it apart.
A stunning debut novel, the tension builds as James moves both the story and the characters towards an uncertain conclusion. This is a thought provoking novel that explores themes that provide and insight into contemporary life. Part psychological/crime thriller, part family drama, The Mistake defies genre conventions and simply delivers a compelling story.
August 13, 2012
The Mistake is centered around a well to do family, the Garrows, in particular Jodi Garrow and her secret. For twenty-four years Jodi has kept the secret of her first baby - Elsa Mary Evans - a secret. At the time, no one knew she was pregnant (not her family, or her fiance), so it only seemed natural for nineteen year old Jodi to keep the pregnancy and the adoption of the baby a secret too. That is until a chance encounter turns Jodi's, and the Garrow's carefully crafted and scripted world upside down, igniting a nation wide police investigation seeking the whereabouts of the baby.
Simply put, this book is amazing. I picked up the book not really knowing what to expect from the story and quickly found myself not only enthralled in the story and it's characters, but the writing itself.
From the very first page, there is no mucking around with the narrative. James starts the story by dropping the reader into Jodi Garrow's world just as everything explodes in her face. The writing is well paced and the dialogue realistic. The characters are well developed, and it is almost as though James predicts the reader's understanding of the novel, for as soon a question arose, it was answered almost instantly within the next chapter, usually through the use of well times and paced flashbacks to 1986. The reader is literally right there with the family as the drama unfolds and new facts and situations arise. Further more the inclusion of the media’s presence and hounding of the family both in print and online were not only well executed, but grounded the book further in the contemporary world. Which in turn cemented the reality of the narrative and the scary implications of and about society all that more powerful. The small mentions about Lindy Chamberlain and the subtle nod, however unintentional, to Kellie Lane, made the novel all that more real and astounding at the same time. It’s a look that not many people have taken at such high profile cases within recently, and one more than one occasion it made me stop and think about current issues. All of which made it a refreshing read.
Although I loved the narrative, I did find myself questioning some of the side characters and their intentions and interactions. Although, I know we were meant to dislike Angus to a certain extent, I found his character kind of dull at times. James was forever hinting that he was loyal to a t, and he was doing the right thing standing by his wide, but I couldn’t get over the infidelity issue. In a way, it made the novel all that more complex, and unpredictable.
What annoyed me more however was the relationship between Hannah and both her parents, particularly Jodi and Hannah’s relationship. Hannah is your typical, everyday teenager struggling to find her way in society and acting out for attention at times. And while I understand that the book was meant to be focused primarily around Jodi's mistake and the repercussions it had on her family and friends and society some twenty-four/twenty-five years later, I just felt there were too many unanswered questions left regarding Hannah, even if that wasn't the point of the book.
Jodi's life crumbles when she finds out Hannah has broken her leg, enabling a chance encounter between Jodi and some of the hospital’s senior personnel who remember Jodi from her secret pregnancy. Fair enough Jodi and Angus have enough on their plate dealing with the police and the ongoing investigations that this encounter provokes, not to mention the threat of a murder charge hovering precariously over Jodi's head when evidence is scare. But there are plenty of heated interactions between Hannah and her Mother, and Father, for that matter, that never really go any where. At the beginning of the book, it comes to light that Hannah was doing E when she broke her leg, and this combined with a few other incidences - such as the time she brought Wes home and the disaster that was - I felt that James was setting Hannah and Jodi up for some big discovery, some big mother-daughter breakthrough for each character to understand each other a bit more. But it never happened. There's constant references regarding Hannah's complete lack of recognition and understanding of who her mother is throughout the upheaval. And we are lead to believe that while Jodi is understandably not happy with her daughter's actions she is still looking out for best interests; but they never get far enough to work anything out. There's not really a big confrontation between the two. Yes, Hannah throws a vase near her Mother's head when everything is first let out of the bag, and she mocks her mother ruthlessly at school for her own entertainment and popularity, but she is trying to not only gain Jodi's attention, but to enrage her; get her to act in some manner to suggest that everything is not okay. From early on in the book we are lead to believe that although they may have their differences, Jodi and Hannah share a close bond. So why doesn't Jodi seek out her troubled daughter during the chaos that disrupts their lives? Why doesn't she question her daughters whereabouts and activities, especially when she acknowledges that things are not okay with Hannah and that there is more than meets the eye going on. I think what frustrated me the most about their relationship is that the explanation of the E and all that at the beginning of the book kind of resembled a gun in the narrative. And for years, I've read and been told, that if you're including one, the readers are going to expect a smoking gun at some point, otherwise what is the point in including it? So apart from showing that Jodi was affected by the talk of baby Elsa Mary, why put it in there? I think this mostly bothered me, because when the book ends, and everything is wrapped up, Hannah is made to apologise and their relationship is fixed almost as simply as that. They cry and its almost as though nothing between them has changed; obviously it has, as the ending further explains just how much this whole situation changed their lives forever, but it just wasn’t enough.
Overall though, this was a brilliant novel that I could not put down.
Simply put, this book is amazing. I picked up the book not really knowing what to expect from the story and quickly found myself not only enthralled in the story and it's characters, but the writing itself.
From the very first page, there is no mucking around with the narrative. James starts the story by dropping the reader into Jodi Garrow's world just as everything explodes in her face. The writing is well paced and the dialogue realistic. The characters are well developed, and it is almost as though James predicts the reader's understanding of the novel, for as soon a question arose, it was answered almost instantly within the next chapter, usually through the use of well times and paced flashbacks to 1986. The reader is literally right there with the family as the drama unfolds and new facts and situations arise. Further more the inclusion of the media’s presence and hounding of the family both in print and online were not only well executed, but grounded the book further in the contemporary world. Which in turn cemented the reality of the narrative and the scary implications of and about society all that more powerful. The small mentions about Lindy Chamberlain and the subtle nod, however unintentional, to Kellie Lane, made the novel all that more real and astounding at the same time. It’s a look that not many people have taken at such high profile cases within recently, and one more than one occasion it made me stop and think about current issues. All of which made it a refreshing read.
Although I loved the narrative, I did find myself questioning some of the side characters and their intentions and interactions. Although, I know we were meant to dislike Angus to a certain extent, I found his character kind of dull at times. James was forever hinting that he was loyal to a t, and he was doing the right thing standing by his wide, but I couldn’t get over the infidelity issue. In a way, it made the novel all that more complex, and unpredictable.
What annoyed me more however was the relationship between Hannah and both her parents, particularly Jodi and Hannah’s relationship. Hannah is your typical, everyday teenager struggling to find her way in society and acting out for attention at times. And while I understand that the book was meant to be focused primarily around Jodi's mistake and the repercussions it had on her family and friends and society some twenty-four/twenty-five years later, I just felt there were too many unanswered questions left regarding Hannah, even if that wasn't the point of the book.
Jodi's life crumbles when she finds out Hannah has broken her leg, enabling a chance encounter between Jodi and some of the hospital’s senior personnel who remember Jodi from her secret pregnancy. Fair enough Jodi and Angus have enough on their plate dealing with the police and the ongoing investigations that this encounter provokes, not to mention the threat of a murder charge hovering precariously over Jodi's head when evidence is scare. But there are plenty of heated interactions between Hannah and her Mother, and Father, for that matter, that never really go any where. At the beginning of the book, it comes to light that Hannah was doing E when she broke her leg, and this combined with a few other incidences - such as the time she brought Wes home and the disaster that was - I felt that James was setting Hannah and Jodi up for some big discovery, some big mother-daughter breakthrough for each character to understand each other a bit more. But it never happened. There's constant references regarding Hannah's complete lack of recognition and understanding of who her mother is throughout the upheaval. And we are lead to believe that while Jodi is understandably not happy with her daughter's actions she is still looking out for best interests; but they never get far enough to work anything out. There's not really a big confrontation between the two. Yes, Hannah throws a vase near her Mother's head when everything is first let out of the bag, and she mocks her mother ruthlessly at school for her own entertainment and popularity, but she is trying to not only gain Jodi's attention, but to enrage her; get her to act in some manner to suggest that everything is not okay. From early on in the book we are lead to believe that although they may have their differences, Jodi and Hannah share a close bond. So why doesn't Jodi seek out her troubled daughter during the chaos that disrupts their lives? Why doesn't she question her daughters whereabouts and activities, especially when she acknowledges that things are not okay with Hannah and that there is more than meets the eye going on. I think what frustrated me the most about their relationship is that the explanation of the E and all that at the beginning of the book kind of resembled a gun in the narrative. And for years, I've read and been told, that if you're including one, the readers are going to expect a smoking gun at some point, otherwise what is the point in including it? So apart from showing that Jodi was affected by the talk of baby Elsa Mary, why put it in there? I think this mostly bothered me, because when the book ends, and everything is wrapped up, Hannah is made to apologise and their relationship is fixed almost as simply as that. They cry and its almost as though nothing between them has changed; obviously it has, as the ending further explains just how much this whole situation changed their lives forever, but it just wasn’t enough.
Overall though, this was a brilliant novel that I could not put down.
January 30, 2023
I have been slogging my way through Tim Winton's Cloudstreet, and decided I needed to put that on hold and listen to something else instead, something that would actually hold my attention and have me invested in the story. The Mistake by Wendy James certainly did that - I was riveted from start to finish.
Excellent narration by Casey Withoos - not only a beautiful singing voice, but a perfect voice for audiobooks as well :)
Excellent narration by Casey Withoos - not only a beautiful singing voice, but a perfect voice for audiobooks as well :)
July 6, 2012
I still remember the profound sense of disquiet that WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? left me with, and Wendy James has done it again with THE MISTAKE.
There's something about Jodie Garrow that I suspect is going to trigger differing responses in readers. Personally I couldn't get past a very obvious sense of Stepford Wife syndrome. She's a socialite, immaculately made-up, coiffured, dressed to the part of the wealthy wife of a high profile husband. There's the perfect family - a boy, a girl, a modern house. She's a big fish in a very small pond - a metaphor that extends as the plot of the book expands and, in Jodie's eyes, she's increasingly surrounded by the sharks - media, friends, mother-in-law. Even the supportive, but ultimately unfaithful husband. There's obviously a lot wrong in Jodie's life and it seems that the revelation of the illegal adoption all those years ago has suddenly bought all that's bad to the surface.
It's also distinctly possible that Jodie is everything that's wrong in Jodie's life, and this author has done a particularly good job at confusing that possibility. Is Jodie the ultimate unreliable narrator, or is the media frenzy, the trial by public opinion, more what is going very very wrong in this woman's life? Why has she stepped back, wrapped herself in what seems oddly passive acceptance, why doesn't that quite stack up against the revelations of Jodie's background and her determination in other areas of her life? Add a philandering husband who does seems to be stepping up to help, a rebellious teenage daughter, and there are cracks in this perfect life that widen with every page.
The point of view moves around between Jodie, her husband Angus and sixteen-year-old daughter Hannah. The timeframe also changes between the present and 1986 when the missing baby was born. The main voice however is always Jodie. As everybody else reacts and deals with the circumstances, Jodie alone knows the full story of what happened to baby Else Mary. Yet somehow her story doesn't quite ring true - whether or not that's because the media hype is winning, or whether or not there is something wrong in what Jodie is saying is not all that easy to decide.
It was hard not to be struck by the coincidence of finishing THE MISTAKE just as a Northern Territory coroner declared that a dingo did indeed take baby Azaria Chamberlain. Hard not to think of the hysterical media and public speculation that went on around that case, hard not to consider the mindless obsession with looks, clothes, demeanour.
In THE MISTAKE, once again, James takes the reader into some very interesting territory. The book is definitely almost pitch perfect psychological thriller, and it's going to be very discomforting reading for some people. It's sneakily challenging, disconcerting, compelling, car crash fascinating, and probably one of the best fictional reminders I've had in a while that public and media opinion should never be mistaken for the justice system, regardless of the ultimate outcome.
http://www.austcrimefiction.org/revie...
There's something about Jodie Garrow that I suspect is going to trigger differing responses in readers. Personally I couldn't get past a very obvious sense of Stepford Wife syndrome. She's a socialite, immaculately made-up, coiffured, dressed to the part of the wealthy wife of a high profile husband. There's the perfect family - a boy, a girl, a modern house. She's a big fish in a very small pond - a metaphor that extends as the plot of the book expands and, in Jodie's eyes, she's increasingly surrounded by the sharks - media, friends, mother-in-law. Even the supportive, but ultimately unfaithful husband. There's obviously a lot wrong in Jodie's life and it seems that the revelation of the illegal adoption all those years ago has suddenly bought all that's bad to the surface.
It's also distinctly possible that Jodie is everything that's wrong in Jodie's life, and this author has done a particularly good job at confusing that possibility. Is Jodie the ultimate unreliable narrator, or is the media frenzy, the trial by public opinion, more what is going very very wrong in this woman's life? Why has she stepped back, wrapped herself in what seems oddly passive acceptance, why doesn't that quite stack up against the revelations of Jodie's background and her determination in other areas of her life? Add a philandering husband who does seems to be stepping up to help, a rebellious teenage daughter, and there are cracks in this perfect life that widen with every page.
The point of view moves around between Jodie, her husband Angus and sixteen-year-old daughter Hannah. The timeframe also changes between the present and 1986 when the missing baby was born. The main voice however is always Jodie. As everybody else reacts and deals with the circumstances, Jodie alone knows the full story of what happened to baby Else Mary. Yet somehow her story doesn't quite ring true - whether or not that's because the media hype is winning, or whether or not there is something wrong in what Jodie is saying is not all that easy to decide.
It was hard not to be struck by the coincidence of finishing THE MISTAKE just as a Northern Territory coroner declared that a dingo did indeed take baby Azaria Chamberlain. Hard not to think of the hysterical media and public speculation that went on around that case, hard not to consider the mindless obsession with looks, clothes, demeanour.
In THE MISTAKE, once again, James takes the reader into some very interesting territory. The book is definitely almost pitch perfect psychological thriller, and it's going to be very discomforting reading for some people. It's sneakily challenging, disconcerting, compelling, car crash fascinating, and probably one of the best fictional reminders I've had in a while that public and media opinion should never be mistaken for the justice system, regardless of the ultimate outcome.
http://www.austcrimefiction.org/revie...
July 17, 2016
Jodie Garrow is the wife of a successful lawyer Angus and she looks and plays the part; she is immaculate and in control of life, which includes her sixteen year old daughter Hannah and her younger son Tom. The couples are well-regarded in the Australian town of Arding, so much so that she has appeared on his arm in pictures in the local paper, supporting some charity or attending some event. But Jodie has a secret, one that is twenty-four years old, and as we all know a secret kept that long, if unearthed, is likely to detonate in a huge eruption. And so it is. In a set of coincidences which reveals that perhaps Hannah isn’t quite the daughter Jodie has pictured, the pair end up in a small hospital and Jodie is recognised.
When Jodie breaks the news to Angus that she procured a private adoption all those years ago his focus is on the legalities followed by a public relations exercise to keep their reputation intact. There is one problem, although the media initially print an appeal for the missing Ella Mary Jodie’s composure along with her current lifestyle means that it doesn’t take long before accusations fly and not just in the media, on the internet and in her home town too.
The reader hears the story from three separate viewpoints; Hannah’s who is fearful of being ostracised by her peers, Angus who is somewhat confused about why Jodie hadn’t told him about the child before now, and Jodie’s tale which stretches back to the 1980s, and of course the newspaper extracts which could be applied to many tales of ‘missing children’ in newspaper’s around the world over the years. The book challenges the assumption of those who watch these types of appeal that if you are not a certain type of person, you don’t dress in a certain way and most importantly you don’t act as those who are watching you imagine they would, there is something dodgy about your story. Of course none of us knows how we may act if we were caught up in a similar drama, I suspect it often isn’t how we imagine it will be. Is this Jodie’s fault?
A fascinating book and one that really did make me think because there is plenty to absorb in the plot but The Mistake is populated by interesting, if not particularly likable, characters. Angus is particularly interesting as Jodie’s revelation causes him to act in a way that perfectly reveals what he thinks is important in his life. Meanwhile Jodie responds by firmly sticking her head into the sand and shutting herself away we are also invited to examine the different standards that males and females judge each other and what is a deal-breaker in a friendship.
Wendy James has presented us with a perplexing mystery but one that asks us to reflect on our own idea about those in caring professions such as the midwife, now dead, who arranged the private adoption, the role of a mother, even one whose pregnancy was unwanted and maybe even adoption itself. For those who are interested in the role media has to play in investigations, I highly recommend this book
When Jodie breaks the news to Angus that she procured a private adoption all those years ago his focus is on the legalities followed by a public relations exercise to keep their reputation intact. There is one problem, although the media initially print an appeal for the missing Ella Mary Jodie’s composure along with her current lifestyle means that it doesn’t take long before accusations fly and not just in the media, on the internet and in her home town too.
The reader hears the story from three separate viewpoints; Hannah’s who is fearful of being ostracised by her peers, Angus who is somewhat confused about why Jodie hadn’t told him about the child before now, and Jodie’s tale which stretches back to the 1980s, and of course the newspaper extracts which could be applied to many tales of ‘missing children’ in newspaper’s around the world over the years. The book challenges the assumption of those who watch these types of appeal that if you are not a certain type of person, you don’t dress in a certain way and most importantly you don’t act as those who are watching you imagine they would, there is something dodgy about your story. Of course none of us knows how we may act if we were caught up in a similar drama, I suspect it often isn’t how we imagine it will be. Is this Jodie’s fault?
A fascinating book and one that really did make me think because there is plenty to absorb in the plot but The Mistake is populated by interesting, if not particularly likable, characters. Angus is particularly interesting as Jodie’s revelation causes him to act in a way that perfectly reveals what he thinks is important in his life. Meanwhile Jodie responds by firmly sticking her head into the sand and shutting herself away we are also invited to examine the different standards that males and females judge each other and what is a deal-breaker in a friendship.
Wendy James has presented us with a perplexing mystery but one that asks us to reflect on our own idea about those in caring professions such as the midwife, now dead, who arranged the private adoption, the role of a mother, even one whose pregnancy was unwanted and maybe even adoption itself. For those who are interested in the role media has to play in investigations, I highly recommend this book
July 12, 2012
Had really high hopes for this book and I found it terribly disappointing. The characters felt very cliche in some aspects and weren't particularly engaging. Parts of the story I found patently unbelievable (the idea that any publication would run a photo of someone above the words "Portrait of a Murderess" before there had been a coroner's inquest let alone a criminal charge is ridiculous).
The ending was also disappointing and I felt like there were some plot diversions that didn't add anything to the overall narrative. I feel quite cheated because the story had such a good premise (despite being almost completely ripped-off from the true case of Keli Lane) and in the end, it did nothing with it and I didn't come off feeling like the story went anywhere.
The ending was also disappointing and I felt like there were some plot diversions that didn't add anything to the overall narrative. I feel quite cheated because the story had such a good premise (despite being almost completely ripped-off from the true case of Keli Lane) and in the end, it did nothing with it and I didn't come off feeling like the story went anywhere.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 13, 2017
This book was a bit slow moving, overdone in some areas and threads left untied in others. I kept reading just to see if there was something more to it, the characters seemed to be over reacting in the circumstances. Unfortunately there was little more to be said and the story just seemed drawn out for the heck of it. Great character development but the story just seemed to go nowhere.
Read
October 22, 2020I was ready to give this book four stars until the last page, after which I wanted to throw it at the wall. Not a satisfying ending at all: quick, non-cohesive and left me with a million questions.
June 14, 2019
A wonderful story that makes you think.
March 26, 2012
Jodie lives a very comfortable life. Married to her childhood sweetheart Angus with two children, she is a well-preserved woman in her 40s with a lovely home, new car and a very good social standing. She helps out with local events and has an active social life and Angus, a lawyer, is thinking of running for mayor. Jodie’s carefully-cultivated life is about to come crashing down all around her when her teenage daughter Hannah breaks a leg on a school trip to Sydney and is inadvertently sent to the one hospital that Jodie never, ever wanted to set foot into again.
Twenty-five years ago Jodie was a scared and pregnant teenager and Angus was on a year long working stint in London. She chose a small hospital far away from where she lived, where the likelihood of running into anyone she knew would be non-existent and gave birth, choosing to put the baby up for adoption. This was quietly -and illegally- arranged by the Matron and Jodie received a small compensation for ‘recovery’ purposes. She’s devoted little time to thinking about that baby since, until one of the nurses notices that Hannah has the same medical condition (webbed toes) as the baby girl Jodie gave birth to all those years ago. A quiet inquiry in case Jodie wanted to reconnect leads the nurse to discover no records of the child exist and she is forced to report it to the authorities.
Jodie now finds herself at the centre of a scandal. Unless they can track down the child – who would now be a woman of 24 – then things could get very serious for Jodie. Without someone coming forward to say they are that child, or that they adopted that baby, then there’s no proof that that the child didn’t meet with foul play, even at the hands of her own mother possibly. Jodie finds herself slowly ostracised from her peer and social groups as they attempt to run a pre-emptive strike on the investigation, doing several carefully constructed media interviews and placing ads requesting information. Before long it’s open season in the media for anyone to say what they like about Jodie and speculate on what may have happened to that little baby so long ago. Nothing is off limits and her background is examined, her reputation cut to shreds and her family harrassed and followed. She is spat on in the streets of her small town where she was once so well liked and finds that her friends fall by the wayside, not even interested in what she might have to say.
As the search for the missing child intensifies, the pressure and strain on all of the family members is taking its toll. It’s just a matter of who is going to crack first.
The Mistake is set in what seems to me, a well known town in NSW with the name loosely changed to Arding. A lot of the details remain the same (boarding schools, local university, hippy population etc). Jodie grew up in a town slightly out of Arding, in a poor family. She scored a scholarship to one of the better schools in Arding and was determined to use that as a way to escape her disadvantaged roots. Angus, in contrast, was part of a wealthy Arding family, well connected and well entrenched in the ‘old boys’ network of the male boarding school. Angus’s mother disapproved and that was enough for Angus to be firmly interested in Jodie. They married young and are both relatively happy, even though they’ve had their issues over the years. Angus supports Jodie when the news comes out, at great personal cost as he has to pull out of the mayoral race.
Where I believe this book excels is its portrayal of the media. At first Jodie and Angus are advised to make a plea for information before the media can dig up a story on their own, but it doesn’t take long before the tide turns and there are editorials, letters to the editor, web comments and sensational headlines. Jodie becomes a recluse after the town starts to alienate her, sitting at the computer clicking through news sites, blogs and comments, reading opinions of people who have never met her and are putting out there whatever they want. It’s a great showcase of how, armed with little information and a big opinion, anyone can get online or write a letter to the editor and say basically, whatever they want with no facts to back it up. Jodie is not personable, doesn’t strike the population as desperate or upset enough which is all the ammunition they need to tear her down as a murderer and worse. Jodie becomes obsessed with reading the things people are saying about her and it’s something I can definitely sympathize with. I think the temptation would be overwhelming, impossible to resist. The articles and opinions printed about Jodie are so realistic (given it’s happened before in Australian society and will no doubt happen again. The book even references numerous times, Lindy Chamberlain who was jailed for the murder of her young daughter Azaria before being exonerated and compensated). It’s such a slow building of the tide turning too, with snippets of newspaper articles and copies of the plea Jodie and Angus’s lawyer places before slipping in editorials, letters from the public and then Jodie finding the blogs. Jodie’s mother even goes on a current affairs show, lambasting her daughter and painting herself in an overly-flattering light.
What I really admired about this book though, apart from the well constructed story, the faultless pacing and the depth of the characters was the fact that it carefully, gently, makes you think that you know what has happened before it cuts you off at the knees. It’s hands down one of the best endings I’ve read in a book, possibly ever. It packs a huge emotional punch – the last line was running through my head for a long time after I finished the book. In fact that was a week ago now and I am still thinking about it constantly. Amazing.
A fabulous read – hard to “love” given the subject matter but well written and very powerful.
Twenty-five years ago Jodie was a scared and pregnant teenager and Angus was on a year long working stint in London. She chose a small hospital far away from where she lived, where the likelihood of running into anyone she knew would be non-existent and gave birth, choosing to put the baby up for adoption. This was quietly -and illegally- arranged by the Matron and Jodie received a small compensation for ‘recovery’ purposes. She’s devoted little time to thinking about that baby since, until one of the nurses notices that Hannah has the same medical condition (webbed toes) as the baby girl Jodie gave birth to all those years ago. A quiet inquiry in case Jodie wanted to reconnect leads the nurse to discover no records of the child exist and she is forced to report it to the authorities.
Jodie now finds herself at the centre of a scandal. Unless they can track down the child – who would now be a woman of 24 – then things could get very serious for Jodie. Without someone coming forward to say they are that child, or that they adopted that baby, then there’s no proof that that the child didn’t meet with foul play, even at the hands of her own mother possibly. Jodie finds herself slowly ostracised from her peer and social groups as they attempt to run a pre-emptive strike on the investigation, doing several carefully constructed media interviews and placing ads requesting information. Before long it’s open season in the media for anyone to say what they like about Jodie and speculate on what may have happened to that little baby so long ago. Nothing is off limits and her background is examined, her reputation cut to shreds and her family harrassed and followed. She is spat on in the streets of her small town where she was once so well liked and finds that her friends fall by the wayside, not even interested in what she might have to say.
As the search for the missing child intensifies, the pressure and strain on all of the family members is taking its toll. It’s just a matter of who is going to crack first.
The Mistake is set in what seems to me, a well known town in NSW with the name loosely changed to Arding. A lot of the details remain the same (boarding schools, local university, hippy population etc). Jodie grew up in a town slightly out of Arding, in a poor family. She scored a scholarship to one of the better schools in Arding and was determined to use that as a way to escape her disadvantaged roots. Angus, in contrast, was part of a wealthy Arding family, well connected and well entrenched in the ‘old boys’ network of the male boarding school. Angus’s mother disapproved and that was enough for Angus to be firmly interested in Jodie. They married young and are both relatively happy, even though they’ve had their issues over the years. Angus supports Jodie when the news comes out, at great personal cost as he has to pull out of the mayoral race.
Where I believe this book excels is its portrayal of the media. At first Jodie and Angus are advised to make a plea for information before the media can dig up a story on their own, but it doesn’t take long before the tide turns and there are editorials, letters to the editor, web comments and sensational headlines. Jodie becomes a recluse after the town starts to alienate her, sitting at the computer clicking through news sites, blogs and comments, reading opinions of people who have never met her and are putting out there whatever they want. It’s a great showcase of how, armed with little information and a big opinion, anyone can get online or write a letter to the editor and say basically, whatever they want with no facts to back it up. Jodie is not personable, doesn’t strike the population as desperate or upset enough which is all the ammunition they need to tear her down as a murderer and worse. Jodie becomes obsessed with reading the things people are saying about her and it’s something I can definitely sympathize with. I think the temptation would be overwhelming, impossible to resist. The articles and opinions printed about Jodie are so realistic (given it’s happened before in Australian society and will no doubt happen again. The book even references numerous times, Lindy Chamberlain who was jailed for the murder of her young daughter Azaria before being exonerated and compensated). It’s such a slow building of the tide turning too, with snippets of newspaper articles and copies of the plea Jodie and Angus’s lawyer places before slipping in editorials, letters from the public and then Jodie finding the blogs. Jodie’s mother even goes on a current affairs show, lambasting her daughter and painting herself in an overly-flattering light.
What I really admired about this book though, apart from the well constructed story, the faultless pacing and the depth of the characters was the fact that it carefully, gently, makes you think that you know what has happened before it cuts you off at the knees. It’s hands down one of the best endings I’ve read in a book, possibly ever. It packs a huge emotional punch – the last line was running through my head for a long time after I finished the book. In fact that was a week ago now and I am still thinking about it constantly. Amazing.
A fabulous read – hard to “love” given the subject matter but well written and very powerful.
April 1, 2021
3.5 stars rounded up. I finished this book about a week ago and waited to review it, because I just wasn't sure. It's a well-written interesting story, but was slow and repetitious in a large part of the middle of the book.
June 28, 2020
3.75/5⭐️
January 28, 2023
I liked this book but was left confused by the ending, can anyone help me? Did the baby die in the car?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 28, 2017
Unlikeable main character and terrible ending. A disappointing read.
November 22, 2012
Did the dingo do it? That has been the eternal question that has existed in the nation’s consciousness for the latter decades of my existence, ever since baby Azaria disappeared at the Rock back in 1980. Initially the nation was divided as to Lindy’s innocence or guilt, as her ‘story’ seemed plausible enough. Hubby Michael was as stoic as men are meant to be, but it was his wife’s hard po-facedness that swung the pendulum against her. Where were the tears? Surely she must break at some point! It was almost an affront that she held her head high, refusing to display the emotional ‘weaknesses’ besetting womenkind, let alone a mother having just lost a new born is such distressing circumstances. The media coverage became a jittery frenzy, and this, combined with some dodgy detective-ing from the NT authorities, sealed Mrs Chamberlain’s fate. Along with everyone else, I doubted her too back then, and the courts found her guilty of a decidedly non-maternal act. We know the rest of the story, but it carried on for decades. Even a few months ago, thirty plus years on, lawyers were still lawyering over it. Events, though, in other places have impacted on the dingo’s once benign reputation, and we are all now jolly careful around them.
There is no dingo in ‘The Mistake’, it being replaced by a deceased hospital matron. Nonetheless the canker of the Chamberlain case hangs heavy over this fine novel. Instead of Wolf Creekian Uluru, the tome is set in the verdant imaginary northern NSW city of Arding (Lismore perhaps?), where the Garrows are respected McMansion owning citizens. Husband Angus has a few secrets of his own, but it is his wife that possesses the one that will potentially tear the family unit asunder. It all revolves from a long hidden indiscretion of her late teenage years. Throughout the ensuing ordeal Jodie, at least outwardly, like Lindy, retains a strong public mien, but inwardly she’s at a loss as her world collapses around her. The shadow of those desert events hang heavily, and when the media latches on she, and those she loves, are in for a bumpy ride.
Portraying a family on the slide into an abyss, James does a masterful job. The interaction between the four family members, as well as their inner workings, is deftly handled. Particularly strong is the picture we receive of the stereotypically self-absorbed teen daughter Hannah, whose parallel antics place added strain on already fracturing relationships. The only jarring notes are provided by the newspaper reports James not so deftly inserts at vital stages of her narrative. Maybe it is because that this reader largely peruses the broadsheets, but they have the feel of being decidedly ‘unjournalistic’. The particularly vitriolic piece that finally causes Jodie to melt down is a case in point. It would be hard to imagine any editor allowing it to disgrace the pages of his/her newspaper. A question could also be posed as to why the logically practical idea of calling for national assistance for information about the ‘dingo’s’ practices hadn’t been thought of earlier in the piece - or why those affected by her didn’t come forward much sooner given the case was a national talking point?
To me, as reader, it is interesting to contemplate why Wendy James, as author, took her story along certain paths the way she did – and spoilers lurk in the following. The novel stands strong without the final twist at the end. This is sort of a half way house between Jodie’s version of events and the conclusion it seems the media is lusting for. Right up until the final pages the reader is comfortable that all bases are covered, but then comes the jolt. Also, why is it necessary that Angus has to revert to old practices and have an affair with the spiky hot shot barrister who arrives from the big smoke to defend his wife? No matter how dire the situation, it seems we menfolk just cannot but resort to default position and give in to the libido, can we? He gets his just desserts! I have no criticism of James in this, just intrigued is all!
This terrific author had not crossed my radar prior to this – maybe because of the covers that seem to intimate ‘women only may enter here’. But this is quality stuff as domestic thrillers go, and I have already investigated eBay for her back catalogue. I’ll be bidding soon!
There is no dingo in ‘The Mistake’, it being replaced by a deceased hospital matron. Nonetheless the canker of the Chamberlain case hangs heavy over this fine novel. Instead of Wolf Creekian Uluru, the tome is set in the verdant imaginary northern NSW city of Arding (Lismore perhaps?), where the Garrows are respected McMansion owning citizens. Husband Angus has a few secrets of his own, but it is his wife that possesses the one that will potentially tear the family unit asunder. It all revolves from a long hidden indiscretion of her late teenage years. Throughout the ensuing ordeal Jodie, at least outwardly, like Lindy, retains a strong public mien, but inwardly she’s at a loss as her world collapses around her. The shadow of those desert events hang heavily, and when the media latches on she, and those she loves, are in for a bumpy ride.
Portraying a family on the slide into an abyss, James does a masterful job. The interaction between the four family members, as well as their inner workings, is deftly handled. Particularly strong is the picture we receive of the stereotypically self-absorbed teen daughter Hannah, whose parallel antics place added strain on already fracturing relationships. The only jarring notes are provided by the newspaper reports James not so deftly inserts at vital stages of her narrative. Maybe it is because that this reader largely peruses the broadsheets, but they have the feel of being decidedly ‘unjournalistic’. The particularly vitriolic piece that finally causes Jodie to melt down is a case in point. It would be hard to imagine any editor allowing it to disgrace the pages of his/her newspaper. A question could also be posed as to why the logically practical idea of calling for national assistance for information about the ‘dingo’s’ practices hadn’t been thought of earlier in the piece - or why those affected by her didn’t come forward much sooner given the case was a national talking point?
To me, as reader, it is interesting to contemplate why Wendy James, as author, took her story along certain paths the way she did – and spoilers lurk in the following. The novel stands strong without the final twist at the end. This is sort of a half way house between Jodie’s version of events and the conclusion it seems the media is lusting for. Right up until the final pages the reader is comfortable that all bases are covered, but then comes the jolt. Also, why is it necessary that Angus has to revert to old practices and have an affair with the spiky hot shot barrister who arrives from the big smoke to defend his wife? No matter how dire the situation, it seems we menfolk just cannot but resort to default position and give in to the libido, can we? He gets his just desserts! I have no criticism of James in this, just intrigued is all!
This terrific author had not crossed my radar prior to this – maybe because of the covers that seem to intimate ‘women only may enter here’. But this is quality stuff as domestic thrillers go, and I have already investigated eBay for her back catalogue. I’ll be bidding soon!
Read
May 5, 2012The Mistake follows the life of Jodie Garrow, a woman who is living the life of her dreams. It's a life she has carefully constructed, built up from her childhood dreams. Her husband, Angus, is an old-moneyed, good looking lawyer with political aspirations. Her children Hannah and Tom are thriving in expensive, high performing schools. Jodie lives in a good neighbourhood, in a nice home, with good supportive friends and does regular charity work. She has all she ever wanted. But Jodie has a secret in her past that no one in her perfect family knows about, and its impending revelation threatens everything Jodie holds dear.
The Mistake is a super-fast, engaging read that has the intensity of a thriller, with the compelling psychological complexity and deep thematics of literary fiction. Jodie’s development is subtle, moving between an internal and external perspective that contrasts Jodie’s slick, calm demeanour with her inner turmoil. The book mingles reflection and memory with perception and superficial judgement. Initially Jodie’s calm has a similar effect on the reader as it does on the narrative public – it distances us. However, as the story progresses, we learn more and more of Jodie’s unhappy upbringing – her unloving mother and missing father:
There are plenty of villains in the story. The most pervasive is Angus himself, with his easy, privileged infidelities, though he does begin to grow a little through his panic attacks, fear and pain. A less complex villain is Angus’ hideously snobby mother, who achieves an unambiguously Dickensian unpleasantness, Jodie’s false friends are also antagonists who begin to creep away when her secret becomes public. The biggest villain however is the general public that is quick to judge, and takes such great Schadenfreude in Jodie's misfortunes. The story pivots on these antagonists, and brings in a broader philosophical perspective about the role of the media and the public’s hunger for voyeurism:
Jodie doesn’t get off lightly – she has to pay her dues, as, to a lesser extent, does Hannah. But in the dramatic irony of their growth, there is a strong development and self-realisation, particularly for Jodie. The Mistake is about far more than a single mistake. It’s also about our choices and the flimsiness of the lives we build around ourselves- the many trappings, roles, compromises, and illusions. Though the novel reads easily and won’t be easily left until the full truth of Jodie’s story is revealed, this is no comfortable beach read. There’s a depth to the theme and a richness in the characterisation that will stay with the reader. The power of friendship too, to winkle out truth and deeper meaning in life, is one that provides some redemption to Jodie’s story, though the powerful ending still comes as a shock.
The Mistake is an expertly written, compulsively readable novel that repays the reading with rich reflection. There are no easy answers here and the multiple 'truths' of the novel are continually called into question. Everyone is culpable. There are plenty of parallels between Jodie Garrow's life and those of other real-life women who have been caught up in a media frenzy and judged based on appearance. Nevertheless the psychological implications go beyond a political statement. This is a powerful book with broad appeal.
The Mistake is a super-fast, engaging read that has the intensity of a thriller, with the compelling psychological complexity and deep thematics of literary fiction. Jodie’s development is subtle, moving between an internal and external perspective that contrasts Jodie’s slick, calm demeanour with her inner turmoil. The book mingles reflection and memory with perception and superficial judgement. Initially Jodie’s calm has a similar effect on the reader as it does on the narrative public – it distances us. However, as the story progresses, we learn more and more of Jodie’s unhappy upbringing – her unloving mother and missing father:
All Jodie wants, all she has ever wanted, is a life without grubbiness, without chaos, a life that follows a clear trajectory of progress, of achievement. Surely, she thinks, it isn’t that much to ask. (187)
There are plenty of villains in the story. The most pervasive is Angus himself, with his easy, privileged infidelities, though he does begin to grow a little through his panic attacks, fear and pain. A less complex villain is Angus’ hideously snobby mother, who achieves an unambiguously Dickensian unpleasantness, Jodie’s false friends are also antagonists who begin to creep away when her secret becomes public. The biggest villain however is the general public that is quick to judge, and takes such great Schadenfreude in Jodie's misfortunes. The story pivots on these antagonists, and brings in a broader philosophical perspective about the role of the media and the public’s hunger for voyeurism:
She can see now how it happens, to the Amy Winehouses, the Heath Ledgers, the Michael Jacksons – can understand why they seek the solace of drugs or alcohol or risky behaviour. Perhaps it makes no difference, really, whether they’re feted or maligned, adored or abhored – either way, they’re endlessly exposed their every action scrutinised discussed, critiqued. They’re like butterflies trapped under glass, microbes under a less than benign microscope. Separate. Isolated. Utterly alone. (202)
Jodie doesn’t get off lightly – she has to pay her dues, as, to a lesser extent, does Hannah. But in the dramatic irony of their growth, there is a strong development and self-realisation, particularly for Jodie. The Mistake is about far more than a single mistake. It’s also about our choices and the flimsiness of the lives we build around ourselves- the many trappings, roles, compromises, and illusions. Though the novel reads easily and won’t be easily left until the full truth of Jodie’s story is revealed, this is no comfortable beach read. There’s a depth to the theme and a richness in the characterisation that will stay with the reader. The power of friendship too, to winkle out truth and deeper meaning in life, is one that provides some redemption to Jodie’s story, though the powerful ending still comes as a shock.
The Mistake is an expertly written, compulsively readable novel that repays the reading with rich reflection. There are no easy answers here and the multiple 'truths' of the novel are continually called into question. Everyone is culpable. There are plenty of parallels between Jodie Garrow's life and those of other real-life women who have been caught up in a media frenzy and judged based on appearance. Nevertheless the psychological implications go beyond a political statement. This is a powerful book with broad appeal.
May 9, 2012
The Mistake is a knockout read by award-winning Australian author Wendy James, with a plot that will haunt you long after the final pages.
The story centres on Jodie Garrow, who rises above a wretched childhood, marries wealthy lawyer Angus -- albeit against his mother's wishes -- bears him two children, forgives her husband's infidelities, and leads a 'happy enough' life in the affluent country town of Arding NSW.
Even as a child Jodie aspired only to be 'one of those normal grown-ups...with pink lipstick, and high heels...a station wagon...[and] a nice handsome husband.' Though aware that such ambitions were unusual for a bright girl of her generation, 'Jodie doesn't let herself think too deeply into just what this striving for social status and security through a man says about her, what it means.'
James shows us precisely what it means when Jodie's past catches up with her and the life she strived for starts to unravel.
As a teenage nursing student, Jodie had fallen pregnant after a one-night stand, Angus dispatched to London at the time in an attempt by his mother to separate them. Jodie gives birth, arranges to adopt the baby out illegally, tells no one. When the story gets out more than twenty years later, it sparks a nationwide police hunt for the missing child.
Even before a coronial inquest is called, Jodie is subjected to a trial by media, condemned for looking 'calm, collected, beautiful, cold. Untouched and untouchable.' As one columnist puts it, 'We get the sense that she remains unmoved by her own situation, that she'll be buffered, protected, by all that material privilege.' A witch hunt reminiscent of the Chamberlain case ensues, this time with the internet.
The narrative point of view shifts from Jodie, to Angus, to their sixteen-year-old daughter Hannah, the action shifting between the present and 1986, when the missing baby Elsa Mary was born. The text is also peppered with media releases and news items. It is a measure of James' skill that despite being privy to Jodie's thoughts, I found myself questioning her innocence, then questioning why. Had I started to believe the media hype, finding Jodie Garrow wanting for never having a hair out of place, for staying in control even as her husband and daughter fall to pieces around her?
The tension in The Mistake is palpable, the characters so convincing that at times I had to remind myself this was fiction.
James has written a compelling, gut-wrenching novel that is not easily categorised. Part family drama, part psychological thriller, it pushes the boundaries of the crime genre, equally intent on revealing consequences of a crime, or mistake, for the suspected perpetrator and her family as it is on resolving the case.
I was so taken with The Mistake, I got hold of a copy of James' debut novel, Out of the Silence, which won the Ned Kelly Award for Best First Book in 2006, and read that, too. Though set over 100 years apart, both narratives have at their centre women whose humble aspirations to be 'normal grown-ups' are thwarted by circumstances. And unwanted pregnancies.
I was inspired to contact Wendy James, whom I met briefly at last year's SheKilda convention, to talk more about her wonderful books. Watch this space for our interview.
I will be reviewing The Mistake by Wendy James together with Comeback by Peter Corris on Radio National's Books and Arts Daily with Michael Cathcart on Thurs 1 March 2012 at 10am.
The Mistake is published by Penguin. Highly recommended.
The story centres on Jodie Garrow, who rises above a wretched childhood, marries wealthy lawyer Angus -- albeit against his mother's wishes -- bears him two children, forgives her husband's infidelities, and leads a 'happy enough' life in the affluent country town of Arding NSW.
Even as a child Jodie aspired only to be 'one of those normal grown-ups...with pink lipstick, and high heels...a station wagon...[and] a nice handsome husband.' Though aware that such ambitions were unusual for a bright girl of her generation, 'Jodie doesn't let herself think too deeply into just what this striving for social status and security through a man says about her, what it means.'
James shows us precisely what it means when Jodie's past catches up with her and the life she strived for starts to unravel.
As a teenage nursing student, Jodie had fallen pregnant after a one-night stand, Angus dispatched to London at the time in an attempt by his mother to separate them. Jodie gives birth, arranges to adopt the baby out illegally, tells no one. When the story gets out more than twenty years later, it sparks a nationwide police hunt for the missing child.
Even before a coronial inquest is called, Jodie is subjected to a trial by media, condemned for looking 'calm, collected, beautiful, cold. Untouched and untouchable.' As one columnist puts it, 'We get the sense that she remains unmoved by her own situation, that she'll be buffered, protected, by all that material privilege.' A witch hunt reminiscent of the Chamberlain case ensues, this time with the internet.
The narrative point of view shifts from Jodie, to Angus, to their sixteen-year-old daughter Hannah, the action shifting between the present and 1986, when the missing baby Elsa Mary was born. The text is also peppered with media releases and news items. It is a measure of James' skill that despite being privy to Jodie's thoughts, I found myself questioning her innocence, then questioning why. Had I started to believe the media hype, finding Jodie Garrow wanting for never having a hair out of place, for staying in control even as her husband and daughter fall to pieces around her?
The tension in The Mistake is palpable, the characters so convincing that at times I had to remind myself this was fiction.
James has written a compelling, gut-wrenching novel that is not easily categorised. Part family drama, part psychological thriller, it pushes the boundaries of the crime genre, equally intent on revealing consequences of a crime, or mistake, for the suspected perpetrator and her family as it is on resolving the case.
I was so taken with The Mistake, I got hold of a copy of James' debut novel, Out of the Silence, which won the Ned Kelly Award for Best First Book in 2006, and read that, too. Though set over 100 years apart, both narratives have at their centre women whose humble aspirations to be 'normal grown-ups' are thwarted by circumstances. And unwanted pregnancies.
I was inspired to contact Wendy James, whom I met briefly at last year's SheKilda convention, to talk more about her wonderful books. Watch this space for our interview.
I will be reviewing The Mistake by Wendy James together with Comeback by Peter Corris on Radio National's Books and Arts Daily with Michael Cathcart on Thurs 1 March 2012 at 10am.
The Mistake is published by Penguin. Highly recommended.
April 13, 2012
The Mistake is told in alternating POV with flashbacks to Jodie's childhood and her courtship with Angus and her relationship with her teenage daughter, Hannah.
After Hannah is injured in a car accident, Jodie finds herself back at the hospital where she gave birth 25 years earlier, completely unknown to her family, friends and Angus. When a well-meaning midwife discovers that Jodie adopted out her first child, she takes it upon herself to try and reunite mother and daughter with disastrous consequences. As Jodie and Angus try to preempt the police investigation into the baby's adoption, the national media grab hold of the story and twist it from the search for an adopted child into a murder investigation.
Jodie is a difficult character to like - she is reserved, composed and almost cold. She had no compulsion to reunite herself with her first-born child and instead seems to prefer burying her head in the sand rather than facing the truth. But as the story progressed, I felt more and more sympathy for her - as the media, the public and even her friends and family being to doubt and accuse her of some incredibly cruel things. As Jodie withdrew from life, hiding behind her perfect life veneer, it was hard to imagine how this story would end. And the ending was not what I ever imagined.....
Ms. James writes a compelling story - with real, flawed characters that have more than their fair share of personal demons and obstacles to overcome. Interspersed with media reports, flashbacks and some incredibly emotional scenes, The Mistake is a story that will keep you guessing right until the very last pages.
Read more of my reviews at The Aussie Zombie
After Hannah is injured in a car accident, Jodie finds herself back at the hospital where she gave birth 25 years earlier, completely unknown to her family, friends and Angus. When a well-meaning midwife discovers that Jodie adopted out her first child, she takes it upon herself to try and reunite mother and daughter with disastrous consequences. As Jodie and Angus try to preempt the police investigation into the baby's adoption, the national media grab hold of the story and twist it from the search for an adopted child into a murder investigation.
Jodie is a difficult character to like - she is reserved, composed and almost cold. She had no compulsion to reunite herself with her first-born child and instead seems to prefer burying her head in the sand rather than facing the truth. But as the story progressed, I felt more and more sympathy for her - as the media, the public and even her friends and family being to doubt and accuse her of some incredibly cruel things. As Jodie withdrew from life, hiding behind her perfect life veneer, it was hard to imagine how this story would end. And the ending was not what I ever imagined.....
Ms. James writes a compelling story - with real, flawed characters that have more than their fair share of personal demons and obstacles to overcome. Interspersed with media reports, flashbacks and some incredibly emotional scenes, The Mistake is a story that will keep you guessing right until the very last pages.
Read more of my reviews at The Aussie Zombie
July 1, 2012
Brilliant, haunting and disturbing, with a twist that will leave you gasping, this is both a subtle and closely-observed portrayal of a family under stress, and a gripping thriller that leaves you guessing to the very end.
January 11, 2020
It did take me a while to get into this book, and I left it for a few months because I was so frustrated with the characters and bored with them, I couldn't get into the story. The nurse who discovers Jodie's secret is so annoying and the manner in which she discovered the secret is frankly unbelievable. Nurse Debbie needs a good lesson in patient confidentiality and confidentiality of medical files. With my second attempt at reading the book, I managed to get into the story and it quickly became engrossing once I had got about half-way into the book. So if you feel like giving up on it, maybe keep going. There is interesting observations in the story on the frailty of human relationships, and the harshness of society in judging those in trying circumstances. It wasn't until the end that I felt I understood Jodie's character and why she was the way she was. The story is obviously, in part, inspired by the story of Keli Lane; and those who follow the public opinion in that case will notice some interesting parallels.
April 25, 2022
DNF @ 25%
The book reeked of internalised misogyny.
2 stages in a woman's life - a 19yo giving up her baby for adoption, and then 20 years later - married with 2 kids - when the secret, illegal, adoption is found out.
At all stages she is treated like she doesn't know what she wants, or that what she wants doesn't matter. Everyone sticks their nose in and tells Jodie what she should do or what they will be doing to deal with her situation, giving their opinions when it is not asked for.
I stopped when Jodie and husband Angus were telling their kids, Jodie starts talking but is interrupted by Angus,
"'Jodie. I thought that we agreed that I'd do the talking'
...
Hannah feels irritation flare, unaccountably maddened by her mother's meek obedience, her passivity. Why won't she do the talking? If it's her story, why not tell it herself, her way."
Based on Hanna's reaction, I think if this book was written from Hannah's POV it could be readable. But I wasn't gonna stick around for possible glimmers of hope.
The book reeked of internalised misogyny.
2 stages in a woman's life - a 19yo giving up her baby for adoption, and then 20 years later - married with 2 kids - when the secret, illegal, adoption is found out.
At all stages she is treated like she doesn't know what she wants, or that what she wants doesn't matter. Everyone sticks their nose in and tells Jodie what she should do or what they will be doing to deal with her situation, giving their opinions when it is not asked for.
I stopped when Jodie and husband Angus were telling their kids, Jodie starts talking but is interrupted by Angus,
"'Jodie. I thought that we agreed that I'd do the talking'
...
Hannah feels irritation flare, unaccountably maddened by her mother's meek obedience, her passivity. Why won't she do the talking? If it's her story, why not tell it herself, her way."
Based on Hanna's reaction, I think if this book was written from Hannah's POV it could be readable. But I wasn't gonna stick around for possible glimmers of hope.
February 7, 2020
This book is frustrating. I loved some of it (hence why it needed 3 rather than 2 starts); the writing, depth of characters and the story-line (in parts.) But I felt kind of lost at the end of the book. It felt although maybe, just maybe I was growing to understand Jodie and Angus Garrow. But in the end I felt utterly confused by their decisions in the final chapters of the book. It created a totally unrewarding, anti-climactic ending that kinda made me wish I hadn't invested my time in pciking it up with such enthusiasm in the first place.
The silver lining in this book for me was the exploration of Hannah and her experience as an adolescent. Although not central to the plot and kind of an aside, it felt real and believable and I found myself resonating with her rebellious yet inquisitive persona, fumbling through the haze of her teen years.
The silver lining in this book for me was the exploration of Hannah and her experience as an adolescent. Although not central to the plot and kind of an aside, it felt real and believable and I found myself resonating with her rebellious yet inquisitive persona, fumbling through the haze of her teen years.
August 30, 2017
This book was really hard for me to get into, I think mainly because it's written in third-person present tense, but fluctuates with third-person past tense - it's written across two time periods. But once I got a feel for the book, it flowed really well. I still don't like third-person present tense, but the excellent writing made up for that.
I also hated the ending, I didn't think there was a proper resolution. But aside from that, once I got into the book, I couldn't put it down. I *had* to know what happened. I even cheated, and read the last part about halfway through, but it just made me want to read more, because the ending was unclear without the context of the whole book.
This is a really good look into human nature and relationships and I enjoyed reading it.
I also hated the ending, I didn't think there was a proper resolution. But aside from that, once I got into the book, I couldn't put it down. I *had* to know what happened. I even cheated, and read the last part about halfway through, but it just made me want to read more, because the ending was unclear without the context of the whole book.
This is a really good look into human nature and relationships and I enjoyed reading it.
April 26, 2020
I have found a new 'must-read' author for my list. The Mistake shows us what could go wrong in an ordinary family, how the actions of the past can have such repercussions in our current life. It's set among a normal family, with normal family problems - whose world is rocked by a chance event.
The writing is terrific, keeping me reading far later at night than I intended to :) The ending had a twist that left me shocked and heartbroken for the main character.
Luckily I have another Wendy James on my To-be-read pile, because I can tell I'm going to be devouring the rest of her novels in quick succession.
The writing is terrific, keeping me reading far later at night than I intended to :) The ending had a twist that left me shocked and heartbroken for the main character.
Luckily I have another Wendy James on my To-be-read pile, because I can tell I'm going to be devouring the rest of her novels in quick succession.
June 3, 2019
This is a great book. A pacey thriller that had me on tenterhooks right until the final reveal. A freak coincidence brings back the memory of an adoption at birth by the main character - but over 20 years later, what happened to that baby becomes the story. Garrow had a difficult childhood, but married well. The reveal of the baby sets off a scandalous series of events and may undo everything she achieved.
This is my first experience with this great Australian author. I'll be reading more of her books.
This is my first experience with this great Australian author. I'll be reading more of her books.
June 5, 2017
A friend recommended Wendy James as an Australian author comparable to Liane Moriarty, this is the first of her novels I've read. Jodie Garrow is a wealthy middle class mother in an Australian small town, where everyone knows everyone else's business and the rumour mill runs wild. When a mistake from her past becomes public knowledge, her life as she knew it, is over.
A nice easy read, and gripping until the last page, I will definitely be reading more of Wendy James in future.
A nice easy read, and gripping until the last page, I will definitely be reading more of Wendy James in future.
July 2, 2018
I'm not a fan of this type of writing. There was no beauty in the writing, no doubt the questions raised - the storyline, will generate lots of discussion in BookGroup but I found the writing flat and all it did was tell a story without anything finer. No doubt it's a worthwhile story but it just didn't do anything for me, flat boring and one dimensional.
March 9, 2023
When you make one mistake, and then it is compounded by another..... which you put behind you and continue with your life....then because of an accident the mistakes catch up with you, and your family. A great read
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