Review Blog

Sep 24 2012

Rigg's Crossing by Michelle Renee Heeter

Ford Street, 2012. ISBN 9781921665707.
A teenage girl is found in the wreckage of a car and requires a lengthy hospital stay to recover from her psychological and physical injuries. Little is known about the girl who staff name 'Len' other than a violent altercation obviously occurred at the scene of the accident. She doesn't appear to have been registered at birth, isn't registered with Medicare and may have been home schooled. Until Len is able to provide more information about her past it is difficult to know how best to help her. A decision is made to place Len in a therapeutic refuge for troubled teens where she has access to professional counselling.
The circumstances under which Len arrives at the refuge are mysterious and the potential for a thrilling story looms large. However the story evolves more as an internal monologue of Len's daily life at the refuge as she seeks to reassemble a sense of identity. The arrival and departure of other residents, intrusive counselling sessions and the return of memories from her troubled life are a few of the issues Len has to deal with. A heightening of tension is signalled when characters from her past make an appearance. Unfortunately these developments prove to be diversions that promise much but deliver little. Consequently, the conclusion feels disappointing.
Tina Cain