Mistletoe Malice | Kathleen Farrell #ALiteraryChristmas

_{Rachel surveyed the room. She put a foot out to smooth the corner of the rug. Her movement was as quick as a girl’s; only the cut of the black, heelless shoe with its buttoned strap showed her age.}

Well, what a Christmas treat this turned out to be.

Mistletoe Malice may have been forgotten and out of print for seventy years, but thankfully Ella Griffiths, Faber Books Heritage Editor (what a great job that must be!) realised what a gem she had when Robert Cochrane posted her his copy of Farrell’s books. I hope the plural means that more are in the wings.

Robert Cochrane wrote the Afterword which provided lots of chatty information about the book, it’s publication history, the author and his friendship with her. I loved his description of the story and feel that I can not do better, especially as he captured the whole is-this-an-Agatha-Christie-style-murder-mystery-or-is-it-something-else tone.

_{Mistletoe Malice employs a classic country house setting but in a coastal location – in which a group of perfectly disagreeable souls assemble. All could murder each other, but don’t; instead, they merely scratch, bicker and add to the overall misery of their daily lives, supposedly in the business of celebrating Christ’s birthday.}

Charity, good will and generosity would be alien words to most of these characters. Our indomintable hostess Rachel is the matriarch of the family. She is totally self-centred, haughty and a control-freak to boot. She lives with her gauche, unhappy, docile 30 yr old niece Bess who is carefully kept in her place, ‘Bess must always remember that although treated as an adopted daughter she was merely a niece by marriage.’

Arriving for Christmas is her daughter, Marion with her husband, Thomas. Marion loves routine and keeping herself busy while Thomas realises that he no longer loves his wife. Cousin Piers arrives full of himself, prepared to play with Bess’ affection for him yet carefully keeping himself unencumbered, ‘he had an infinite capacity for putting people aside.‘

Cousin Kate arrives with a carefully concealed broken heart. But they are all surprised, when after an absence of many years, Rachel’s wayward, dissolute son, Adrian suddenly turns up out of the blue. ‘Rachel was overcome, not only by disappointment, but also by humiliation. He was her son, and as his father was dead the responsibility which should have been shared was hers alone.’

Observing all their shenanigans with wry amusement and ill-will is the cook, Mrs Page, ‘she allowed herself the luxury of a forbidden cigarette while she considered the mysterious ways of families who meet for the purpose of making each other miserable and bad-tempered.‘

It really is a gem of post-war malaise, dysfunctional families and a comedy of manners.

As an interesting aside, Farrell’s author bio revealed that her partner for a number of years was Kay Dick who wrote the dystopian short story collection They, another Faber & Faber rediscovered gem which I read last month.

_{For whatever picture of satisfaction she might present, she knew she had fulfilled none of the promises she had made to herself.}

ISBN: 9780571378265
Imprint: Faber & Faber
Published: 2nd Nov 2023 (originally published 1951)
Format: Paperback with French flaps
Pages: 279
Origin: ARC
Dates Read: 22nd - 29th December 2023

This post was written on the traditional land of the Wangal clan, one of the 29 clans of the Eora Nation within the Sydney basin. This Reading Life recognises the continuous custodianship & connection to Country of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples for the lands, seas & skies on which we live. They are this nations first storytellers.