In Budapest in 1943, Gina’s cosseted and carefree existence is about to change forever. Her father, a General in the Hungarian army, having already sent her beloved governess back to France, sends Gina to a boarding school far away from the capital. Ensconced in a very strict religious institution, with any and every instinct towards individuality repressed Gina rebels. But with rebellion comes punishment, and not only from those in authority. Alienated from staff and pupils alike, she finds herself truly alone for the first time in her life. Alone except for Abigail, a statue in the grounds who pupils confide in through handwritten messages. Can Gina find a way to navigate this alien world she finds herself in? Can she see beyond her selfishness to understand those around her? And can she find out who is the mysterious figure behind the statue and the legend of Abigail?
There’s little doubt you’ll have come across coming-of-age stories set in boarding schools before, and possibly ones hinging around wartime but that’s no detriment to how enjoyable a read Abigail is. You get all the things you would expect – the pupil shenanigans, the adult-pupil power plays, the firm friends and sworn enemies – but into the bargain there’s the author’s immaculate plotting, the casually-discarded breadcrumbs that raise the reader’s eyebrow, and the expert timing that never once delivers a pay-off until a good few pages after you expected it to arrive. Where there’s mystery Magda Szabó keeps the possibilities alive so you’re never entirely sure you’re on the right track until the moment of truth.
One of the real joys of reading Magda Szabó’s Abigail is the balance of awareness. What the reader sees in the wider context, and what each of the characters know or believe or choose to believe in spite of everything is central to the whole thing ticking like a well-tuned clock. I don’t doubt you’ll find yourself willing Gina to listen more closely, to see more clearly, to understand better. But then how many of us were just like Gina in some way at that age, and with so much less at stake! Perhaps it’s this that touches us in the reading, the wish that we could’ve been, can still become the best of ourselves.
It’s no wonder Abigail is Magda Szabó’s most popular book in Hungary. It’s a novel that wears its wisdom lightly. A story that holds the attention, it is funny, and sweet, and very human. It is urgent, heartfelt and honest without once leaning toward sentimentality. It really is a joy to read.
Abigail is published by MacLehose Press on 14th January 2020 ISBN:9780857058485
My thanks to Corrina at MacLehose for allowing me to review this fabulous book.
vanisreading 