Where Are the Children

By Mary Higgins Clark

After a little under a week, I have just finished reading the novel Where Are the Children by Mary Higgins Clark. For years, I've heard about Clark and her writing style (described as, "If Agatha Christie is the Queen of Suspense/Mystery, Clark would be the Dame," by multiple people), yet this is the first novel she wrote that I read.

As an initial impression of her style, especially based on the fact that this was the first novel that launched her career, to say that I was quite impressed would be the understatement of the week. Clark presents a simple plot that manages to intrigue readers and pull them into the novel. Meanwhile, as the chapters progress, she very carefully begins to intertwine more and more detail until the reader is both surprised and actively engaged in attempting to figure out how the end of the novel is going to play out.

In addition, it raises a variety of intriguing questions throughout the story, eventually raising even more by the very last chapter of the book, as well: Are we biased about foul play when a woman loses her children more than once? And are we more willing to assume that a mother is ultimately responsible for losing her children regardless of whether or not an outside factor was involved? How do we tell which person is innocent, and which person is guilty? And how do we begin to solve a situation such as a missing child without becoming emotionally invested; do we really need to feel that way in order to consider ourselves useful?

I’d say that, from a craft point of view, her style carries with it an almost rhythmic quality to it in some areas. Particularly during the early setup. And it carries on throughout the novel during periods of interiority, almost like an echo. The effect is quite brilliant, mainly because the human mind is usually more entangled. Not strictly rigid.

I’d say that her main weakness with this novel would also be the beauty of her craft. She writes with such elegant diction that at times it almost dances around the wretchedness of what she’s trying to describe rather heading for it right on. While this adds a measure of comfort for readers while she touches on some difficult topics (such as child abuse), it also detracts a little from the grittiness of the subject matter. This is a crime and mystery fiction novel, so there’s an expectation going into it. While Clark certainly adds class to the tale, there were a few moments where I wondered if she didn’t use a more direct approach in earlier drafts.

That being said, Clark created an almost-shockingly realistic plot that I would say still presents a valid point to this day, regardless of how investigative technology (such as toxicology) has advanced.

Last but not least, there was one general detail about the writing of the novel as a whole that made me curious: Clark wrote a number of romantic relationships in this tale that reflect a strong man that has a weak spot for one particular woman. This is not a complaint/criticism, but it makes me curious if her personal relationship with her husband had been that way. If it was, or if it was a brief reflection of 1960's-1970's nostalgia (that I love), it added a depth to the story that made the reader see the writer. As any writer's first novel, I would say Where Are the Children by Mary Higgins Clark is truly well-crafted.

Definitely worth a read.