By Christine Yunn-Yu Sun
The Unusual Abduction of Avery Conifer, by Australian author Ilsa Evans, is an entertaining and emotive read.
The story focuses on Avery, a four-year-old who loves her daddy Daniel and mummy Cleo dearly.
Unfortunately, Daniel keeps Avery to himself and ignores the shared custody arrangements.
Worse, he gets an intervention order against Cleo, resulting in her being sent to prison after repeatedly and desperately trying to see her daughter.
Worried how Daniel is coping as a single parent, his mother Shirley pays a visit – and finds Avery alone and locked inside the house.
Other shocking discoveries lead to concerns that Avery is being harmed, so Shirley decides to take the girl away, accompanied by Cleo’s mother Beth and Shirley’s own mother Winnie, plus Beth’s dog.
The hilarious story centres on the two grandmothers trying to overcome their considerable differences while accommodating an active child, a stubborn old lady, and a fluffy mini schnauzer.
They also need to evade the authorities, the media, and those YouTube-crazy citizen detectives armed with mobile phone cameras – especially after the enraged Daniel refuses to accept help and instead calls the police.
There are serious messages behind the funny story, conveyed from the perspectives of multiple characters involved in the abduction case.
It demonstrates that relationship breakdown is never just about the couple, while giving a voice to everyone embroiled in the plot so that their side of the story can be examined.
This includes not just Shirley’s and Beth’s family members, but also the police officers investigating the “kidnap”, the hosts of a TV show reporting on the case, and Daniel’s new girlfriend.
Ultimately, Avery’s welfare outweighs everything else.
While all the personal squabbles and private disputes among the family members become less relevant, it doesn’t stop us from probing their inner pains and struggles.
More importantly, it provides a rare glimpse of the numerous ways in which our lives can be dictated by social and cultural “norms”.
For example, how should women juggle their multiple roles and obligations as mothers, wives, daughters, sisters, friends, colleagues and career professionals?
How could men balance the endless expectations that they be capable and caring, masculine without being toxic, taking charge while being supportive, strong but also emotionally intelligent?
Throughout the ordeal, Shirley is the character who grows the most.
Torn between her son’s demands and her granddaughter’s needs, she realises that she may have inadvertently perpetuated and enabled Daniel’s behaviour. Meanwhile, Beth is an organiser, a thoroughly likeable character whose own experience of emotional abuse and neglect allows her to identify with Cleo and Avery.
But the most fascinating character is Winnie, who, at the mature age of 89, has three Twitter handles plus two Facebook, one Instagram and at least two PayPal accounts.
She is the balance between Shirley and Beth, the technology-savvy, sensible and independent woman who disrupts all stereotypes about the senior generation.
Which makes The Unusual Abduction of Avery Conifer a highly enjoyable book, heartfelt, informative and thought-provoking.
Absolutely recommended.
