Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Waiting for Willa by Dorothy Eden

Title: Waiting for Will
Author: Dorothy Eden
ISBN: 0449231879
Publisher: Fawcett/1970


When Grace receives the letter, it is postmarked Stockholm. Seems like a normal note from Grace’s cousin Willa about nothing in particular. But for the signature. It is signed Wilhelmina, the name Willa hates. This is their secret code for help if ever Willa got into trouble. Grace Asherton, an attractive young novelist, is a sane person not one to give in to hysterics. But when she arrives in Stockholm and discovers her cousin has vanished, she is a bit alarmed especially by the strange behaviour of Willa’s so called friends.

It seems that Willa was pregnant and had run off to marry someone named Gustav. This Gustav is very difficult to trace. Everyone tells her that Willa was an impulsive person who would do just that. Grace does not believe anyone. She starts questioning. Again she receives another note signed Wilhelmina, which makes her more resolute to find the truth. More she gets into it, more it gets murkier. Everyone around her wishes for her to forget it and let go. But Grace is in no mood to give up the search for her cousin. On her neighbour, Polson's behest, Grace masquerades as Willa and watches the drama unfold....

This story has a gothic touch. At night one can feel the loneliness that Willa and now Grace face at her home. Grace does get into the bottom of all this but with some tragedy but she also finds love where she had not expected. The story holds interest right from the beginning. One can feel the atmosphere right away that something is not right. Each of the character feels strange and are involved in protecting each other. And no one is ready to reveal anything about Gustav. The mystery does hold till the end and the writing is good too.

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