Tiger's Child
Torey Hayden - Tiger's Child (1995)
This is a sequel to Hayden's first book, One Child. It continues the tale of Sheila, the small girl she taught in that book. She tracked her down in order to show her the manuscript and then hired her to help her in a new job. First five chapters of this book include the overview of what happened to Sheila in the previous book, so the reader does not have to buy it the get into the story.
Hayden says it herself in this book: "Real lives are seldom as satisfying as fiction". Her publisher even advised against telling the truth of the case of Sheila in order to get a publishable ending. However, as "Sheila" says in her comment in the web page about this book: you might as well be honest.. I think I can definitely see her point. Well, what would you think if you'd find yourself as a character in a book?
Hayden was surprised when Sheila did not seem to remember their year together. One year of teaching may not necessarily amount to much in the terms of a whole lifetime, regardless of how much the teacher would hope otherwise.
So, when Sheila left Hayden's care, it was not happy times ever after. Her father took her away, she ended up in foster care many times and was exploited and sexually abused. All this trickles out during their conversations.
Hayden hires Sheila to help her in a new therapy class, even if she still has her own problems Hayden does not know about. And when it appears that some career-oriented foster parents decide that their little social accessory - street kid they have adopted from Colombia - might be too broken to be presentable and should be returned to the sender, Sheila draws her own conclusions and acts accordingly.
Sheila turned out to be angry because she had been turned to a literary character she could not recognize. Of course, it was Hayden's view of her, as she later admitted. And when things seem to be good between them again, she again vanishes with her father.
Although this book is about further life of Sheila, it is also about Hayden's life. And couple of her boyfriends. About the changing special education policies and therapy methods, about her work alongside enthusiastic Freudians, other children she tried to help. How she tried to bring Sheila back into her life. And how her hopes for her were not exactly fulfilled.
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The Tiger's Child
Torey Hayden
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This is a sequel to Hayden's first book, One Child. It continues the tale of Sheila, the small girl she taught in that book. She tracked her down in order to show her the manuscript and then hired her to help her in a new job. First five chapters of this book include the overview of what happened to Sheila in the previous book, so the reader does not have to buy it the get into the story.
Hayden says it herself in this book: "Real lives are seldom as satisfying as fiction". Her publisher even advised against telling the truth of the case of Sheila in order to get a publishable ending. However, as "Sheila" says in her comment in the web page about this book: you might as well be honest.. I think I can definitely see her point. Well, what would you think if you'd find yourself as a character in a book?
Hayden was surprised when Sheila did not seem to remember their year together. One year of teaching may not necessarily amount to much in the terms of a whole lifetime, regardless of how much the teacher would hope otherwise.
So, when Sheila left Hayden's care, it was not happy times ever after. Her father took her away, she ended up in foster care many times and was exploited and sexually abused. All this trickles out during their conversations.
Hayden hires Sheila to help her in a new therapy class, even if she still has her own problems Hayden does not know about. And when it appears that some career-oriented foster parents decide that their little social accessory - street kid they have adopted from Colombia - might be too broken to be presentable and should be returned to the sender, Sheila draws her own conclusions and acts accordingly.
Sheila turned out to be angry because she had been turned to a literary character she could not recognize. Of course, it was Hayden's view of her, as she later admitted. And when things seem to be good between them again, she again vanishes with her father.
Although this book is about further life of Sheila, it is also about Hayden's life. And couple of her boyfriends. About the changing special education policies and therapy methods, about her work alongside enthusiastic Freudians, other children she tried to help. How she tried to bring Sheila back into her life. And how her hopes for her were not exactly fulfilled.
lj book reviews
The Tiger's Child
Torey Hayden
make your own book badge | read lj reviews of this book