Magda Szabo; translated by Len Rix
Set against the background of World War II Hungary, Abigail by Magda Szabo, translated from the Hungarian by Len Rix, is a suspense novel couched in a coming-of-age story of fourteen-year-old Gina Vitay.
Raised by her widowed father, a general in the Hungarian army, and under the tutelage of her French governess, Gina is loved and coddled and thoroughly spoiled by all. She is used to being the center of attention and getting her way. But then her cosseted world comes to an abrupt, screeching halt. When the Nazis stomp on Hungary’s heels, her governess has to make a hasty retreat to France, and Gina is sent off to a strict, religious, fortress-like boarding school. She is baffled by her father’s decision to abandon her there and is even more baffled when he gives her strict instructions not to contact anyone, including him.
Gina is immature, rebellious, and determined not to cooperate until her father explains his involvement with the underground resistance to Nazi incursion into Hungary. He has placed her in school to protect her and to prevent her from being used as a pawn to coerce him to reveal the identity of his collaborators. Feeling isolated, Gina seeks help from the legendary Abigail, the statue on the school grounds who responds to the girls’ requests for help. She leaves notes inside Abigail’s pitcher and receives secret instructions from her. She speculates on the identity of the person operating behind Abigail, but it is not until the final page of the novel that Abigail’s identity is revealed.
Evidence of the war increasingly intrudes on the school as the novel progresses. The suspense escalates; the tension builds. Gina grapples to find answers. Who is the mysterious dissident who leaves anti-war messages in the town? Who is the person behind Abigail? Who is watching out for her welfare in the school? Why has she not heard from her father? Whom can she trust?
The answers to these questions are fairly predictable as Magda Szabo includes foreshadowing and drops hints throughout the novel even though Gina is unable to piece it all together until the end. But the predictably does not detract from the suspense. It may actually heighten it as we watch a headstrong Gina jump to erroneous conclusions, make false assumptions, and misjudge individuals.
This is a compelling, page-turning mystery from an accomplished story-teller. The translation makes for a quick and easy read. The focus is on plot, not on character development as none of the characters is particularly well-developed or engaging or likeable. The novel succeeds as a mystery, but it goes no further. Unlike Magda Szabo’s The Door or Iza’s Ballad, this novel does not invite lingering moral or ethical questions that continue to haunt the reader long after the last page is read. Once Gina has solved the central mystery, the novel is over, and there is little left to ponder.
Recommended.