You’ll be haunted by this hidden treasure

When you were a kid, did you ever read the book The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson burnett? It was one of my all-time favourites, and when I found out about the film adaptation I was obsessed and chained to the VCR copy my gran had taped from the TV for me.

For those who need a recap, Mary Lennox lives in India and loses her parents to a cholera epidemic. She’s sent to live with her wealthy hunchbacked uncle at his mansion on the Yorkshire Moors.

Mary finds a secret garden (no surprises there) and explores the fabulous surroundings with new friends and family.

The Illustrated Child, Polly Crosby’s first novel, brought my imagination right back to that garden. But this tale is frighteningly different from Mary Lennox’s.

Romilly lives in a rickety house with her eccentric artist father and her cat Monty. Her father writes a series of beautiful children’s books starring Romilly as she explores the expansive garden at home embellished with aspects of fiction, and they’re all beautifully illustrated by her dad.

But they’re not straightforward stories. Fans from across the globe believe a treasure hunt lies within the pages and they travel to Romilly’s home to dig for clues which means Romilly can’t feel comfortable in her own surroundings.

As the story progresses, Romilly’s father becomes increasingly enclosed to the point that he seems be disappearing before her eyes, leading her to search for the treasure herself. Is it gold she’s searching for? Or something far more precious?

I must admit, I went into The Illustrated Child with a positive attitude, believing that everything for Romilly would be magical and I’d be swept away into an idyllic scene that would colour my dreams with delicately preened blooms and tall, towering evergreen trees.

Boy, was I brought back down to the allencompassing, dreary earth with a bump to face a much more distressing and eye-opening story. In the beginning, all is well for the small family. Romilly is so loved by her father and the two have a precious relationship.

She’s been gifted a free-range childhood that any kid would dream of, but it doesn’t always play out positively and in an uplifting wayfor the child.

The home the pair share isn’t haunted but there are ghosts within the characters that are shaping how they view the world, and how they tackle grief and acceptance.

I felt so empathetic for Romilly and her father. From what starts out as such a wonderfully exciting story, the words weave into something much more intriguing that sees you peeling back people’s behaviours to view a much darker, disturbing tale that’ll have you analysing every word and chapter, leading to your heart to be slowly broken for young Romilly.

I would say The Illustrated Child is not for the fainthearted. It’s a beautifully written tale that evokes dreams and imagination but don’t be a fool like me and enter into it with rose-tinted glasses. Prepare to feel emotions that’ll creep up on you like a dark ghost with unfinished business.