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The Birthday House
A friendship. A murder. A life that will never be the same.
The year is 1955, the location picturesque Devon.
In a house by the River Dart, schoolgirl Josephine Kennedy posts invitations to her twelfth birthday party – a party that never takes place.
Horrific violence is committed that night in the family home, leaving all of its occupants dead.
Based on a disturbing real-life crime, this compelling story explores Josephine’s fate through the prism of friends and family - the victims and survivors who unwittingly influenced the events that led up to the tragedy.
Josephine’s best friend, Susan, is haunted by the secrets of the birthday house. Can she ever find a way of making peace with the past?
The year is 1955, the location picturesque Devon.
In a house by the River Dart, schoolgirl Josephine Kennedy posts invitations to her twelfth birthday party – a party that never takes place.
Horrific violence is committed that night in the family home, leaving all of its occupants dead.
Based on a disturbing real-life crime, this compelling story explores Josephine’s fate through the prism of friends and family - the victims and survivors who unwittingly influenced the events that led up to the tragedy.
Josephine’s best friend, Susan, is haunted by the secrets of the birthday house. Can she ever find a way of making peace with the past?
149 pages, Paperback
Published June 24, 2019
2 people are currently reading
5 people want to read
About the author
Jill Treseder
9 books19 followersJill Treseder’s first career was in professional social work and the second in the human side of management development. This work led indirectly to the publication of 'The Wise Woman Within: Spirals to Wholeness' (2004) a self-development book for women exploring feminine wisdom.
Her first novel 'The Hatmaker’s Secret' (2013) is based on a family secret. The second, 'A Place of Safety' (2014) is set on Dartmoor and the third 'Becoming Fran' (2016) is a coming-of-age novel set in Bristol. 'My Sister, Myself' is about two sisters who escape to England from Budapest during the Hungarian uprising of 1956.
The novella 'The Saturday Letters' links to 'The Hatmaker's Secret' and the novella 'The Birthday House' is a departure, being based on a true crime of 1955.
Her first novel 'The Hatmaker’s Secret' (2013) is based on a family secret. The second, 'A Place of Safety' (2014) is set on Dartmoor and the third 'Becoming Fran' (2016) is a coming-of-age novel set in Bristol. 'My Sister, Myself' is about two sisters who escape to England from Budapest during the Hungarian uprising of 1956.
The novella 'The Saturday Letters' links to 'The Hatmaker's Secret' and the novella 'The Birthday House' is a departure, being based on a true crime of 1955.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 16, 2019
Look out for my full review during my stop of the blog tour next month!!
October 12, 2019
The Birthday House is fiction inspired by a real-life murder-suicide; on 11th October 1955, the co-director of Dartmouth Pottery murdered his wife, Patricia, twelve-year-old daughter, Christine and their dog, Rusty before taking his own life. Jill Treseder was friends with Christine and she wrote this novella as a way to lay some ghosts to rest and to explore why a loving husband and father might suddenly kill his entire family, and then himself.
The book opens in 2018 as Susan wonders what would have happened if her best friend hadn't been murdered by her father. It's immediately - and understandably - obvious that this tragic event has overshadowed her whole life. She has never trusted a man enough to marry or even have a long-term relationship with, she can't sleep at night without putting into place all the locks, bolts and alarms she uses to give her some semblance of security, and perhaps most poignantly, she has guarded against her own emotions so much that she is unable to cry. Her issues with trust also stem from her parents decision to hide the true facts about the deaths of Josephine and her family from her and she feels that the right to be in direct control of her life was stolen from her. Now retired from her career in forensics, she recognises that this one event has always obsessed her and although she has since learned what happened and how, she is still left with the question of why he did it.
Although a shocking crime lies at the centre of the book this is not a thriller but rather an exploration of the circumstances which led to the tragedy and a reflection of the effect of the deaths on those left behind. Chapters are written from a number of perspectives and are set both before, immediately after and many years since Harold Kennedy's horrifying final acts. Knowing what is destined to occur casts a sad inevitability over the story and I found the chapters written from Josephine and Pamela's viewpoints particularly affecting. It becomes evident that Harold was a controlling, volatile man and though his daughter clearly adored him, she was also astutely aware of his moods and even though still young, had learned to modify her own behaviour accordingly - something which is picked up by Susan when she visits her friend's house.
It's his influence on Pamela which is perhaps especially notable, however. She met him when she was a nurse and he was recovering from the meningitis which almost killed him. They fell in love but he is a mercurial husband, still affected both physically and mentally by his illness and as such, his overbearing dependence on his wife has resulted in her losing the essence of who she once was. She has the opportunity to rediscover her inner self and although her actions are open to criticism, it's hard to condemn her for daring to seek the love and understanding she has been missing in her life.
Of course, regardless of the decisions Pamela and Josephine make, we know what is going to happen. The chapters which finally reveal how and why are beautifully written and give the reader an emotional and disturbing insight into the murders from the perspectives of victim and killer without ever becoming sensational. The chapters dealing with the aftermath of the deaths are equally as perceptive as Jill Treseder recognises that a tragedy such as this catches many people in its wake, including the woman who made the grim discovery and is deeply and perhaps irrevocably traumatised by what she saw.
Those who loved Pamela and Josephine are forced to try to come to terms with their grief while confronting their own sense of guilt as they question why he did it and whether they could have prevented it or are in some way to blame. As this engrossing and thoughtful novella draws to a close, Susan realises that rather than needing to understand what happened, she can find solace in her memories of Josephine, bittersweet though they may be. Although The Birthday House is a heartbreaking story of a horrific crime so too is it an affirmation of the gift of love and friendship. Despite being short in length, this emotionally complex and immersive novella has real depth. Highly recommended.
The book opens in 2018 as Susan wonders what would have happened if her best friend hadn't been murdered by her father. It's immediately - and understandably - obvious that this tragic event has overshadowed her whole life. She has never trusted a man enough to marry or even have a long-term relationship with, she can't sleep at night without putting into place all the locks, bolts and alarms she uses to give her some semblance of security, and perhaps most poignantly, she has guarded against her own emotions so much that she is unable to cry. Her issues with trust also stem from her parents decision to hide the true facts about the deaths of Josephine and her family from her and she feels that the right to be in direct control of her life was stolen from her. Now retired from her career in forensics, she recognises that this one event has always obsessed her and although she has since learned what happened and how, she is still left with the question of why he did it.
Although a shocking crime lies at the centre of the book this is not a thriller but rather an exploration of the circumstances which led to the tragedy and a reflection of the effect of the deaths on those left behind. Chapters are written from a number of perspectives and are set both before, immediately after and many years since Harold Kennedy's horrifying final acts. Knowing what is destined to occur casts a sad inevitability over the story and I found the chapters written from Josephine and Pamela's viewpoints particularly affecting. It becomes evident that Harold was a controlling, volatile man and though his daughter clearly adored him, she was also astutely aware of his moods and even though still young, had learned to modify her own behaviour accordingly - something which is picked up by Susan when she visits her friend's house.
It's his influence on Pamela which is perhaps especially notable, however. She met him when she was a nurse and he was recovering from the meningitis which almost killed him. They fell in love but he is a mercurial husband, still affected both physically and mentally by his illness and as such, his overbearing dependence on his wife has resulted in her losing the essence of who she once was. She has the opportunity to rediscover her inner self and although her actions are open to criticism, it's hard to condemn her for daring to seek the love and understanding she has been missing in her life.
Of course, regardless of the decisions Pamela and Josephine make, we know what is going to happen. The chapters which finally reveal how and why are beautifully written and give the reader an emotional and disturbing insight into the murders from the perspectives of victim and killer without ever becoming sensational. The chapters dealing with the aftermath of the deaths are equally as perceptive as Jill Treseder recognises that a tragedy such as this catches many people in its wake, including the woman who made the grim discovery and is deeply and perhaps irrevocably traumatised by what she saw.
Those who loved Pamela and Josephine are forced to try to come to terms with their grief while confronting their own sense of guilt as they question why he did it and whether they could have prevented it or are in some way to blame. As this engrossing and thoughtful novella draws to a close, Susan realises that rather than needing to understand what happened, she can find solace in her memories of Josephine, bittersweet though they may be. Although The Birthday House is a heartbreaking story of a horrific crime so too is it an affirmation of the gift of love and friendship. Despite being short in length, this emotionally complex and immersive novella has real depth. Highly recommended.
November 5, 2019
I first happened upon Jill Treseder last year when I read her novel My Sister, Myself. It was a novel which took me by surprise and I really enjoyed Jill’s engaging writing style and her wonderful storytelling ability.
Her latest, The Birthday House is a dinky novella of 150 pages, but whilst it’s short in length, it definitely doesn’t shy away from creating an impact. It is most definitely not an easy, fluffy read. It’s a hard hitting and highly emotive examination of a real-life crime, although the characters are fictional, the crime itself actually happened.
The novella feels like an investigation and an ordering of thoughts on behalf of Susan, the little girl whose best friend, Josephine was murdered in her own home. Susan finds out years after the event and there is a sense of helpless sadness which emanates from her character. Each chapter is from the point of view of another character, which allows the reader to piece together what lead up to and what happened that night from differing perspectives.
I really enjoyed this method of relaying the story, although I did find that I struggled to connect emotionally with both Pamela (the mother – although this was more to do with the style of narration) and strangely with Susan herself. This really surprised me, particularly after reading the afterword. With the benefit of hindsight, I’ve wondered why? Susan is open with the reader about her thoughts and feelings around the incident, and also about her friendship with Josephine. But I didn’t really get a sense of who she was away from the tragedy and beyond. Perhaps that is purposeful and one of the far-reaching consequences of that fatal night and the decisions made for her afterwards; but I felt I wanted to strip her back and discover who she became. It felt somehow guarded in some respects.
That said however, the chapters told through Josephine and Harold’s eyes are incredibly haunting and masterfully told. The characterisations are perfection, and the writing just wonderful. I had actual goosebumps as I read them and they will stay with me for quite some time.
The fact that this is based on a real life crime creates intrigue, and I was shocked that when I addressed Madam Google, the search yielded no results as to the real life perpetrator. Instead the person was almost revered for their role in their business. This further intrigued me. Time may have passed, but the impact of such a heinous crime should not.
For lovers of real life crime, this is a short read which packs quite the punch!
Her latest, The Birthday House is a dinky novella of 150 pages, but whilst it’s short in length, it definitely doesn’t shy away from creating an impact. It is most definitely not an easy, fluffy read. It’s a hard hitting and highly emotive examination of a real-life crime, although the characters are fictional, the crime itself actually happened.
The novella feels like an investigation and an ordering of thoughts on behalf of Susan, the little girl whose best friend, Josephine was murdered in her own home. Susan finds out years after the event and there is a sense of helpless sadness which emanates from her character. Each chapter is from the point of view of another character, which allows the reader to piece together what lead up to and what happened that night from differing perspectives.
I really enjoyed this method of relaying the story, although I did find that I struggled to connect emotionally with both Pamela (the mother – although this was more to do with the style of narration) and strangely with Susan herself. This really surprised me, particularly after reading the afterword. With the benefit of hindsight, I’ve wondered why? Susan is open with the reader about her thoughts and feelings around the incident, and also about her friendship with Josephine. But I didn’t really get a sense of who she was away from the tragedy and beyond. Perhaps that is purposeful and one of the far-reaching consequences of that fatal night and the decisions made for her afterwards; but I felt I wanted to strip her back and discover who she became. It felt somehow guarded in some respects.
That said however, the chapters told through Josephine and Harold’s eyes are incredibly haunting and masterfully told. The characterisations are perfection, and the writing just wonderful. I had actual goosebumps as I read them and they will stay with me for quite some time.
The fact that this is based on a real life crime creates intrigue, and I was shocked that when I addressed Madam Google, the search yielded no results as to the real life perpetrator. Instead the person was almost revered for their role in their business. This further intrigued me. Time may have passed, but the impact of such a heinous crime should not.
For lovers of real life crime, this is a short read which packs quite the punch!
October 11, 2019
Don't be fooled into thinking that this novella is a light and breezy read. It's a beautifully told story of childhood, friendship, love, betrayal, regret and murder and it packs a punch.
The narrative comes from a range of characters including children which offers the voice that had the most impact on me personally. Through the multi-narration the reader gets a fully immersive experience of the events before, during and after the fateful day of the murder. When reading some novels I become at one with a specific character but whilst reading this, I became part of the whole story - like a bystander witnessing all the evens and aftermath but frustratingly unable to intervene.
The narrative also moves between a dual timeline, telling the events and the build up to the murder and then moving to Susan in the present as an older lady and giving a deep insight into how her life was changed by the events.
This is such a compelling and deep novel which provided me with lots of opportunity for self reflection around shame and judgement in small communities. Knowing that there is some elements of fact within this novel makes the whole thing more harrowing at times. Well written and sensitively managed, this is such a brilliant novel.
The narrative comes from a range of characters including children which offers the voice that had the most impact on me personally. Through the multi-narration the reader gets a fully immersive experience of the events before, during and after the fateful day of the murder. When reading some novels I become at one with a specific character but whilst reading this, I became part of the whole story - like a bystander witnessing all the evens and aftermath but frustratingly unable to intervene.
The narrative also moves between a dual timeline, telling the events and the build up to the murder and then moving to Susan in the present as an older lady and giving a deep insight into how her life was changed by the events.
This is such a compelling and deep novel which provided me with lots of opportunity for self reflection around shame and judgement in small communities. Knowing that there is some elements of fact within this novel makes the whole thing more harrowing at times. Well written and sensitively managed, this is such a brilliant novel.
October 7, 2019
This book is a fictional story based on a tragic event that took place in Dartmouth and is the authors tribute to her friend.
Retelling the tragedy is the authors attempt at asking why and I hope laying ghosts to rest. Knowing this was based on truth made it all the more harrowing to read.
At just under 150 pages it’s a quick read but no worse for it. Packing in beautiful writing and rich characters this is a glimpse behind the net curtains of the 1950’s neighbours.
The old saying “you never know what goes on behind closed doors” couldn’t be truer here. Although some had their suspicions and rumours were circulated.Voicing them was not what they did. You kept out of other peoples business. It’s such a shame that even today nearly 65 years later people still keep quiet when they suspect domestic violence, not wanting to get involved. Although I am glad the laws have recently changed to include coercive control. However throughout the book you realise the potential triggers, a parental suicide, public shaming, alcohol misuse, rumours of affairs and mood changes.
Although the author will maybe never know the real reason her friend died I hope writing this was cathartic.
Retelling the tragedy is the authors attempt at asking why and I hope laying ghosts to rest. Knowing this was based on truth made it all the more harrowing to read.
At just under 150 pages it’s a quick read but no worse for it. Packing in beautiful writing and rich characters this is a glimpse behind the net curtains of the 1950’s neighbours.
The old saying “you never know what goes on behind closed doors” couldn’t be truer here. Although some had their suspicions and rumours were circulated.Voicing them was not what they did. You kept out of other peoples business. It’s such a shame that even today nearly 65 years later people still keep quiet when they suspect domestic violence, not wanting to get involved. Although I am glad the laws have recently changed to include coercive control. However throughout the book you realise the potential triggers, a parental suicide, public shaming, alcohol misuse, rumours of affairs and mood changes.
Although the author will maybe never know the real reason her friend died I hope writing this was cathartic.
November 22, 2019
https://thecaffeinatedreader.com/2019...
A quick but memorable read. It was a fascinating book, birthed out of the need to deal with grief through fiction, to try and provide answers not freely given in the tragedy that occurred in ‘The Birthday House.’ It’s commendable what Treseder has done in trying to find an explanation, writing a sort of novella in the process. The senseless tragedy that has happened will never have a satisfactory answer or even an answer at all but to try and explain it seems natural as this tragedy will continue to affect those touched by it for the rest of their lives.
I really enjoyed this, Treseder has a strong voice and an impressive style, given that she does it all in 150 pages and makes it end on a satisfying note.
The chapters are divided between the people involved in the story, the young best friends, the parents, and even the housekeeper who stumbled upon the horrible discovery, and this is part of the reason why the book felt so fleshed out and was able to feel complete in my opinion.
Thank you to Silverwood Books and Anne Cater for a copy in exchange for my honest opinion as part of the blog tour.
A quick but memorable read. It was a fascinating book, birthed out of the need to deal with grief through fiction, to try and provide answers not freely given in the tragedy that occurred in ‘The Birthday House.’ It’s commendable what Treseder has done in trying to find an explanation, writing a sort of novella in the process. The senseless tragedy that has happened will never have a satisfactory answer or even an answer at all but to try and explain it seems natural as this tragedy will continue to affect those touched by it for the rest of their lives.
I really enjoyed this, Treseder has a strong voice and an impressive style, given that she does it all in 150 pages and makes it end on a satisfying note.
The chapters are divided between the people involved in the story, the young best friends, the parents, and even the housekeeper who stumbled upon the horrible discovery, and this is part of the reason why the book felt so fleshed out and was able to feel complete in my opinion.
Thank you to Silverwood Books and Anne Cater for a copy in exchange for my honest opinion as part of the blog tour.
October 9, 2019
Based on a true crime, although ‘The Birthday House’. is a fictional interpretation of the events before, during and after the tragedy. The characters too are fictional, although the author did know the young girl who was murdered.
This is a short story, but it has depth and impact, more so because this is based upon a real, historical crime. Told from the viewpoints of the people involved it paints a picture, which is both poignant and inevitable. The housekeeper, who made the discovery, and its aftereffects on her. The wife, the child, the friend, the child’s best friend, the husband, who committed such a grievous atrocity, and the grandmother left only with her memories and regrets.
The story reads well, drawing you into the 1950s Dartmouth community. There is something fatalistic about it, so many opportunities to circumvent the eventual tragedy, but still, it happened. A well-written thought-provoking story,
I received a copy of this book from SilverWood Books in return for an honest review.
This is a short story, but it has depth and impact, more so because this is based upon a real, historical crime. Told from the viewpoints of the people involved it paints a picture, which is both poignant and inevitable. The housekeeper, who made the discovery, and its aftereffects on her. The wife, the child, the friend, the child’s best friend, the husband, who committed such a grievous atrocity, and the grandmother left only with her memories and regrets.
The story reads well, drawing you into the 1950s Dartmouth community. There is something fatalistic about it, so many opportunities to circumvent the eventual tragedy, but still, it happened. A well-written thought-provoking story,
I received a copy of this book from SilverWood Books in return for an honest review.
October 13, 2019
Set in Dartmouth, this novella tells the story of Susan. Her best friend Jo, was killed when they were 12 years old and this tells how Susan has tried to come to terms with this over many years.
Told from various perspectives, including Susan, Jo and her parents, and in 1954-55 to 2018.
Jo was killed by her father, he’d also killed her mother and then himself. He had been a moody man but had loved his family. What drove him to such an awful event?
Susan had been told they died in a car crash, to protect her from the truth. But this caused her problems throughout her life as she didn’t really trust anyone to tell the truth.
A beautifully written tale of friendship, betrayal, loss and grief that lasts a lifetime. It is full of emotion, and tells of letting go and hope. This will stay with me for a long time.
Thank you to Anne Cater and Random Things Tours for the opportunity to participate in this blog tour, for the promotional materials and a free copy of the book. This is my honest, unbiased review.
Told from various perspectives, including Susan, Jo and her parents, and in 1954-55 to 2018.
Jo was killed by her father, he’d also killed her mother and then himself. He had been a moody man but had loved his family. What drove him to such an awful event?
Susan had been told they died in a car crash, to protect her from the truth. But this caused her problems throughout her life as she didn’t really trust anyone to tell the truth.
A beautifully written tale of friendship, betrayal, loss and grief that lasts a lifetime. It is full of emotion, and tells of letting go and hope. This will stay with me for a long time.
Thank you to Anne Cater and Random Things Tours for the opportunity to participate in this blog tour, for the promotional materials and a free copy of the book. This is my honest, unbiased review.
November 12, 2019
his is an exceptional piece of writing. The story concentrates on the real life murders perpetrated by Howard Koppenhagen in the 1950’s. Why would make a family man kill his entire household?
The event is life changing for all those involved and the author shows what could have happened in the run up to the tragedy and tells the story from various different perspectives.
Such an interesting insight and narrative on human behaviour and how events like this continue to impact on those involved years later. Highly recommended.
The event is life changing for all those involved and the author shows what could have happened in the run up to the tragedy and tells the story from various different perspectives.
Such an interesting insight and narrative on human behaviour and how events like this continue to impact on those involved years later. Highly recommended.
October 11, 2019
“The Birthday House” is a powerful short read examining a real-life murder during the 1950s. Exploring how this crime affected the lives of those who knew the family, this really is a compelling and heart-wrenching story.
My review: https://whatrebeccasread.wordpress.co...
My review: https://whatrebeccasread.wordpress.co...
September 22, 2019
My full review will be on the way next month for the blog tour - check www.gemmaromanbooks.co.uk
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews