By Nia Liversuch
The Curse of Morton Farmhouse by Derek Smith is a novel of many layers. It begins in a similar vein to a Jane Austen novel, with the introduction of Anne, a young woman from a wealthy but sheltered background, who achieves her desire to gain an education in business – unusual for a woman of the 1930s, the period in which the novel is set. Anne’s time at college in London leads to a coming of age for her, where she meets high society women and engages in a flirtatious romance with a young officer named Jeremy. The couple’s whirlwind romance is hastened by the onset of World War Two, and it soon becomes clear that Jeremy’s top-secret role in the armed forces will cause them to be separated for long periods of time, despite their recent marriage and the purchase of Morton Farmhouse and the accompanying land. The reader follows Anne and Jeremy as they fight to be together despite the distance between them that is created by the war.
The novel’s depiction of World War Two is fascinating. The examination of the strong base that the Home Front created for the war effort is engaging, and Smith’s focus on the necessity of agriculture and small industries recognises the unrelenting hardship and bravery of those who were left behind. Anne is shown to be a strong heroine at the centre of the novel; she does not crumble under the emotions aroused by her husband’s frequent departures, nor the pressures of singlehandedly running a farm. Her inner strength is admirable, and Smith’s depiction of her is honest and realistic, and he consistently sets her up as a sympathetic and likeable character.
The Curse of Morton Farmhouse reveals itself to be a very complex novel, through its portrayal of a number of themes. The novel progresses from initially starting off as a romance, to becoming a tale of war and tragedy, which is both emotive and gripping. It then develops into a fascinating examination of post-war life, both in terms of the personal lives of the characters and the new strains and hardships placed on the farm by the changing society in Britain. The lives of the future generations are developed, and these younger characters become equally as engaging and relevant to the reader as their parents and grandparents – a skill of Smith’s. The novel twists and turns through themes, eventually leading the reader to a mysterious disappearance that is not solved until the final pages. These themes and plot developments are all held together by a fascinating device – the curse that supposedly hangs over Morton Farmhouse, where Anne and Jeremy moved after their marriage. Smith is clever in his depiction of the curse; it does not weigh heavily on the novel, and is sometimes forgotten in the action of a drama on the farm, or a wartime tragedy, but it is always lingering in the background. Perceptive readers will notice a link between the original curse and the lives of Anne and her family – but will they be able to break the hold over Morton Farmhouse and attain happiness?
The novel is, at times, a slow burner, but is powerful in its portrayal of several stages of one woman’s life, as well as the lives of her family. Readers will develop a bond with the characters which will grip them until the final pages and leave them considering Morton Farmhouse and its occupants for a long time afterwards.