Book Review – The Doll Funeral

by Kate Hamer (Faber and Faber) ISBN 9780571334421

When Ruby turned thirteen, she was told that she’d been adopted. This news made her happy because her father was physically abusing her, and she was miserable. The news that she had real parents out there somewhere gave her hope of escaping her reality and finding her loving parents again.

Unfortunately, the truth of who her parents were and what happened to them was not relayed and Ruby went on her own mission to find them.

She lands up living with a friend and his siblings who were left alone by their parents who went abroad and sometimes sent them cheques to live off. Ruby finds out that one of the siblings has, in fact, passed away, but she was able to talk to him as if he were still alive. This confirms her suspicion that she can communicate with the departed.

The story has a happy ending, but not in the way you would expect. The Doll Funeral is definitely a unique read and one that gave food for thought.

Amanda Blankfield-Koseff
3/5

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