The Truth About Verity Sparks

Susan Green (author)

Walker Books, Australia: August 2011; 297pp

ISBN: 9781921720277

Genres: adventure

Issues: belonging, friendship, identity

London, 1878: Verity Sparks, milliner's apprentice, has a very unusual talent that has very little to do with hats. Her ability to find lost things by simply thinking about them is very rare. She is persuaded to use her skills as a Confidential Inquiry Agent but soon finds that the most intriguing lost thing is the truth about her own past.

Framed for theft, rejected by her employer, peers and family, Verity finds herself on the verge of homelessness when she is taken in by the somewhat eccentric Plush family. Treated as a valued member of the business, clothed, educated and given social instruction, Verity finds herself feeling far too much at home for a mere apprentice. Can her talent truly be of use to others? Can she use it to make a living? And can she discover that which she's never known – the truth about her parentage?

Green uses the age-old and popular orphan hero(ine) plot line in an innovative way to explore classic and universal themes of the search for self, the outsider finding a place, our need to connect to our past in order to feel secure in our future. The Victorian era is making a comeback as a useful context in which to explore the worth of more traditional values but Green also uses it to express the disconnectedness that can be felt by an individual who does not 'fit' into the role cast for by their community and wider society. Green also subtly emphasises that all the talent and potential in the world will be wasted without education, guidance and opportunity. An action-packed narrative that also celebrates the strength of the individual and the joy of finding like minds, in he Truth About Verity Sparks readers ill find an entertaining mystery novel with a more significant subtext.

Verity s a lively, strong-minded young woman who is here to stay – and good luck to hr!