Books by and for independent women

The Bewitching of Alison Allbright by Alan Davidson

“It was as if there were another Alison Allbright in existence… As if, in fact, her daydreams had come to life”.

At some point, we’ve all found ourselves wanting. We’ve all looked at our lives and hoped for something more. But as the old adage goes, be careful what you wish for.

Trapped in an unexceptional existence, and burdened with a lacklustre family, a dowdy house and limited talents, Alison Allbright (or ‘Alldull’ as her peers prefer) yearns for a more exciting life: a monied life, full to bursting with holidays, beautiful clothes, delicious food and glamorous parents. She yearns to be confident, intelligent and happy. Most of all, she yearns to have friends.

When the elegant and mysterious Mrs. Considine takes Alison under her wing, all her wildest dreams come true. Convinced of her latent charisma, Alison positively blossoms under the older woman’s tutelage. Curiously, Alison bears an uncanny resemblance to Mrs. Considine’s deceased daughter, and enamoured with the life Mrs. Considine is offering, Alison adopts Camilla’s identity, falling head first into a dangerous adventure that results in death.

Deliciously sinister, and wonderfully provocative, The Bewitching of Alison Allbright remained in print for nearly 20 years, and its impact has not diminished with time. Merely seeing the cover art brings back a flood of memories: how fascinated I was by the duality of Alison Allbright, how enthralled by her duplicitous antics, and her audacity. How thrilled I was by the idea of a fluid and ever-changing identity (perhaps responsible for the myriad hair cuts and colours I’ve adorned over the years).

In his inimitable laconic style, Alan Davidson deftly explores the aspirational and volatile world of the teenage girl. Riddled with jealousy, Alison’s extreme behaviour is not attributed to a spoilt or demonic nature, but rather to the achings of a painfully shy and terminally overlooked young girl: a girl never permitted to show her true potential, a girl who is fundamentally unable to voice her dissent. Alison trips over daily reminders of her inadequacy in the eyes of her classmates. She is often deliberately excluded, and so ripe is the hurt, she is easily tempted into deviance when promised the attentive parent she’s always dreamed of. Like Neil Gaiman‘s Coraline (yet entirely without sorcery), Davidson illustrates the importance of being heard, and the susceptibility of the timid, unhappy child to the charms of the calculating adult.

Distressingly, The Bewitching of Alison Allbright is no longer in print, but you can try your luck on Amazon to nab a secondhand copy. When we looked, there was one for sale for a mere penny plus P&P. Bargain.

Post by Annette Barlow