Matthew and Sheila

by Robin Jenkins

In Robin Jenkins' new novel he gets inside the soul of an isolated young boy, Matthew, who is abandoned by his painter father after his mother's death and is left to be brought up by his sternly religious relatives and a family housekeeper.
At school Matthew encounters the angelic Sheila, a preternaturally bright child, who reveals to him that she has in fact committed murder in the past. When Matthew's father returns to the household with a new wife, Matthew decides to put Sheila's claims to the test.

232 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Author of a number of landmark novels including The Cone Gatherers, The Changeling, Happy for the Child, The Thistle and the Grail and Guests of War, Jenkins is recognised as one of Scotland's greatest writers. The themes of good and evil, of innocence lost, of fraudulence, cruelty and redemption shine through his work. His novels, shot through with ambiguity, are rarely about what they seem. He published his first book, So Gaily Sings the Lark, at the age of thirty-eight, and by the time of his death in 2005, over thirty of his novels were in print.

Reviews

[Lewis Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable read. Slow at parts but overall a very easy and comfy read.