Book Review: Matilda Is Missing by Caroline Overington
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I am still yet to read a book by Caroline Overington that I haven’t liked. This isn’t her best book but it seems like Overington’s worst books are still better than the best books of many other writers.
Softie Monaghan and Garry Hartshorn should never have gotten married. She was a sophisticated career woman. He was a rough country boy who’d had plenty of jobs but no career. But she was desperate for a child and he knew a good thing when he saw it. Even before Matilda was born, Softie knew she’d made a mistake. But she wanted a proper family for her daughter so she tried to push through.
But after two years, she was a broken woman (it seems clear that there’s some sort of post-natal depression going on as well as having a husband whose parenting approach is completely at odds with her own). So she takes Matilda and leaves.
Garry is furious and doesn’t understand what he’s done wrong. While searching for support online, he gets caught up with the Men’s Rights movement, who push him to go for full custody of his daughter (even though it’s clear he’s not the type who even wants to be a full-time father). And so begins a stereotypical bitter custody battle.
The book is actually told from the perspective of Brian, who is completely unrelated to the story, and the custody battle is long over. Brian’s friend, the Family Court judge who presided over Matilda’s case, has recently died and has bequeathed to Brian the records. He thought a travesty had occurred (despite it being his case) and he wanted Brian, being a former newspaper man, to go through everything and bring the true story to light. Brian is shocked, especially because he was never a reporter, just a factory worker who helped print the physical copies of the newspapers. But he’s retired and his son’s fighting a similar custody battle, so he dives in.
From here on, it’s almost entirely Brian listening to tape recordings of Softie and Garry’s sessions with a court-appointed counsellor as they explain their sides of the story. It focuses heavily on their relationship before Matilda was born and for most of the book I was thinking the title was completely apt, because Matilda seems like an afterthought, only appearing very close to the end.
The format, listening to Softie and Garry talk, is a little annoying, especially when they are relating conversations with other people. “So he said… and I said… then he said… and she goes…” But, thankfully, Brian isn’t the type to interject with his opinions too much. He and Overington both allow the story to simply unfold without telling us how we should feel.
As a result, I suspect this is a book where women readers will sympathise with Softie and male readers will come down on Garry’s side and I think Overington has deliberately written it in a way that makes sure that happens because when the end comes, the lack of focus on what is best for Matilda is the lasting sensation. The Family Court case is to decide the child’s living and care arrangements and instead it becomes a de facto divorce hearing (because, of course, in Australia, all divorces are no-fault divorces). The Family Court judge has an ideology and a recent change in custody laws gives him what he needs to use it.
I didn’t see the exact ending that came but I was able to predict elements of it and like all of Overington’s books, it’s poetic in a heartbreaking way but completely lacking in justice for anyone involved. I’ve read four of her books now and I’ll continue reading her work because she never disappoints. In a word: satisfying.
3.5 stars
*First published on Goodreads 14 September 2019
