Hello Gentle Reader,
Lynne Reid Banks has been immortalized by her monumental novel “The Indian in the Cupboard,” both for its fantastical storytelling; and now mired in the tar and drudgery of sensitivity criticism. The novel and its subsequent sequels have often been challenged by select parents’ groups, social activists, and any to all affiliated special interest groups. It regularly appears on challenged or censored children’s books, which incudes such titles as “Bridge to Terabithia,” “Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret,” “The Chocolate War,” and a plethora of novels from Ronald Dahl archive. While the novels portrayal of Aboriginal peoples is as thin as varnish, its depiction can be a starting point for meaningful dialogues regarding representation and misrepresentation. Beyond her literary work for children, Lynne Reid Banks curated controversy with her debut novel, “The L-Shaped Room,” which dissected the prevalent social conservatism and mid-century modern moral subscriptions, by recounting the story of an unwed woman pregnant, whose been cast out of her comfortable middle class up bringing with the revelation she’s pregnant. What follows is a narrative of an otherwise fallen figure, who finds refuge in a dingy boarding house full of other such societal outsiders. The novel moves through the motions of pregnancy and the recount the bungled sexual encounter. Lynne Reid Banks career, however, compromised of a variety of other children’s books and literary novels. From “Tiger, Tiger,” a riveting tragic story of ancient Rome, to biographical fiction of the famous Brontë siblings, including the troubled Bramwell. Lynne Reid Banks remained a slippery and mercurial writer, capable of entertaining and writing for children about complex themes; while adjusting her pen for mature and adult readers, questioning prevalent societal notions and puritanical perspectives. Reid Banks life was also of adventure and gusto, complete with a sharpness of observation and tongue. Her otherwise signature forthrightness was guaranteed to start a spat or an argument, but was keen to admit her own follies and failures before anyone else could tack them to the wall. Lynne Reid Banks work will endure. I suspect her children’s work will always circulate, both on their own merits and the updraft of controversy and outrage of some parental group, while her literary output will be shielded under the shadow of “The L-Shaped Room.”
Rest in Peace, Lynne Reid Banks.
Take Care
And As Always
Stay Well Read
M. Mary
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