THE ORPHAN COLLECTOR by Ellen Marie Wiseman
There is something absolutely “Dickensian” about Ellen Marie Wiseman’s latest novel THE ORPHAN COLLECTOR. This book tells the story of a thirteen year old girl who lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1918 when the Spanish Flu is raging. All of the horrors possible seem to befall Pia Lange as she tries to keep her head above water and provide care and support for her family. It is a brutal struggle and the book is sometimes almost too horrible to read as it describes her woes.
Since we are living in a time of our own health problems with Covid 19, hearing of the tragedies foisted upon people in an earlier time by another virus is daunting. I can not tell you how many times I put this book aside and swore to not open it again. But there is something about Wiseman’s writing style and something about the humbling nobility of Pia’s character that drew me back each and every time.
Finally about a third of the way through the book things semi-brightened. Pia gets separated from her family and faces more hardships as she tries to reunite with them, but she does find a place that provides her with the basic necessities. Plus she finds a strength and resilience inside her that virtually keeps her alive.
One reason I struggled with the first portion of this book is there is hardly any dialogue. Wiseman gives description after description of the effects of the “flu” . I craved a bit of conversation to lighten the oncoming tide of words that told of death and disease, death and disease. I know she wanted to set the stage for this horrific tale but the reader gets the picture early on and doesn’t need repeated horrors to bring home the point things were bad all over Philadelphia.
Still the story of this heroic young girl makes for exultant reading. Pia is Annie and Oliver Twist smashed together. She is fully created by Wiseman and draws the reader into her story and situations totally. The more evil she faces, and she does face evil, the more her spirit rises.
Wiseman weaves a tale that promises the sun will come up tomorrow and leaves you saying more please.
THE ORPHAN COLLECTOR is published by Kensington. It contains 304 pages and sell for $16.99.
Jackie K Cooper
www.jackiekcooper.com
