For a young girl growing up under the blanket of loving grandparents, a goddess-like mother and two wickedly sarcastic aunts in their country English home, life couldn't be more superb.
But, for Kitty, the protagonist of Playing with the Grown-ups, age adjusts her "silvery grey" eyes so that she's able to more clearly see her mother Marina's depression and its toll on their fairytale family.
The novel, written by Sophie Dahl, is eloquently written and woven with strands of absolute creativity. Her style is a truth all its own, distinguishable from any other writer's.
The granddaughter of famous children's books author Roald Dahl, she writes poetically and simply, mixing elements of tragedy, heartbreak, comedy and the matter-of-fact reality of childhood.
Kitty's glamorous life is speckled with colorful-yet-flawed characters. But, when Kitty's never-stable mother "finds religion," a string of events pulls her pretty happy life right out from under her feet.
After boarding school, the death of the father she never met, promiscuity and a few trips to and from America, Kitty finds herself back in England, snorting coke with her downspirilling mum and several boys she'd never expected to call friends.
What's most compelling about the novel is how Dahl sustains a level of hope in Kitty, throughout all the turmoil and distress. The reader holds an attachment to Kitty because of this and cares incredibly for her well-being.
She indirectly emphasizes that while Marina is clearly sick, Kitty is not doomed to the same fate, even though she admires no one more than her mother. This point gives the whole story a bright message.
Another particularly intriguing aspect of the book is the manner in which the reader can noticeably see the progression in Kitty's maturity. While it's told from a semi-omniscient point of view, as Kitty adds on years and life experience, she begins to notice things and see events more for what they truly are. Dahl's close attention to detail helps this cause as well.
Besides the charming pieces of British-English sewn into the dialogue and descriptions, Playing with the Grown-ups claims a charisma of its own.
Dahl plays with her language in a light and experimental manner that engages her audience to the very end.
The reader finds sympathy with almost all characters and aches for Kitty when she makes poor choices.
As Dahl writes, Kitty adored her mother above all else because "When she smiled at her, Kitty felt like she was the only person in the entire world, because her mother's smile covered her from head to toe."
Grade: A
