One of the most anticipated debut novels of the year, ‘The Girl in the Red Coat’ by Kate Hamer tells the story of Carmel Wakeford, an eight-year-old girl who goes missing after becoming separated from her mother, Beth, at a local storytelling festival in Norfolk. She is abducted by a man who says he is her estranged grandfather and believes Carmel has a special gift. He tells her that her mother is dead and he takes her to start a new life in the United States as a faith healer travelling to various evangelical churches. Meanwhile, Beth is struggling to come to terms with her disappearance and is doing everything she can to find her daughter.
‘The Girl in the Red Coat’ is the latest in a string of popular novels with “Girl” in the title: ‘The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo’ by Steig Larsson, ‘Gone Girl‘ by Gillian Flynn and ‘The Girl on the Train‘ by Paula Hawkins to name a few. However, there are two key differences between ‘The Girl in the Red Coat’ and these other titles. Firstly, the “girl” in the title really is a young girl rather than a woman and secondly, ‘The Girl in the Red Coat’ is the only one of these books which doesn’t fit comfortably into the crime or thriller genre. Instead, Hamer has taken inspiration from fairy tales, most notably ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ and there is a dreamlike quality to her prose with a relatively slow pace.
The story alternates between Carmel and Beth’s version of events as the days, weeks and months pass after her abduction. I wasn’t always convinced by some parts of the story, particularly Carmel’s voice as an eight-year-old child which I felt was uneven and unrealistically grown-up at times, as well as the idea of her being abducted to become a sort of faith healer. On the other hand, I found Beth’s situation much more compelling as she dealt with the grief and uncertainty of her daughter’s disappearance, not knowing if, when or how to move on.
Overall, ‘The Girl in the Red Coat’ is more chilling than thrilling, although it was the mystery surrounding whether or not Carmel’s true identity would be rediscovered which kept me reading. The concept at the beginning is intriguing with an unusual take on mother-daughter relationships as well as some interesting ideas around the theme of religion. However, I don’t think the early promise at the beginning was quite sustained to the end.
Many thanks to Faber & Faber Ltd for sending me a review copy of ‘The Girl in the Red Coat’ via NetGalley.
A Little Blog of Books 
I sometimes think that this new trend in using the word “girl” in every seemingly crime novel is a bit ridiculous. However, I’m glad that this one is not even closer to the idea of crime story, looking at your review 🙂
LikeLike
Yes, I can see why most people would assume it’s a thriller for that reason 🙂
LikeLike
Yours is the first blog review of this book I’ve read. Previously I’d read simply that it was much anticipated and bought it on the strength of that when it came out. I’d been planning to take it as on holiday with me next week – but to justify a hardback in the measly luggage allowance in the flight I have to be confident it will be a great book! So I will delay Girl In The Red Coat for a few weeks yet!
LikeLike
I liked it but I didn’t love it – in other words, I’d pack it for a holiday if it was a paperback rather than a hardback 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
The authentic child’s voice is a difficult one. Although many writers attempt it, few get it right. Even depicting a child in third person seems to be difficult.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, for me, the voice just sounded too grown up for an eight year old, but if it had been too authentic or babyish, I wouldn’t have wanted to read that either, so it’s a bit of a no-win situation!
LikeLike
I’ve read books that produced an authentic feeling narration from a young child that still was interesting. Try Blackbird by Jennifer Lauck.
LikeLike
I was put off reading this book by the title – as you say the format mimics a mass-market crime/thriller novel. It’s interesting about the fairytale angle and how that’s implied yet lost in the title in the midst of the more modern genre connotations. Great review as ever!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks! Yes, I think there are people who are going to be surprised by the book, possibly even misled by it because of the title…
LikeLike
This sounds very interesting! I think I might get this from the library!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pingback: Disclaimer by Renee Knight | A Little Blog of Books
Oh, have just finished this book. Always feel bad about a negative review, so in two minds whether or not to write a post on it – or not. Agree entirely with your comments, and couldn’t enjoy the young child’s too-mature voice. Struggled with the credibility angle also. Hmmm, will have to sleep on it. Nicola
LikeLike
Yes, I had quite high hopes for this one too but Carmel’s voice didn’t ring true for me unfortunately.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pingback: Beside Myself by Ann Morgan | A Little Blog of Books