The China Governess

A test of good fiction is that one can return after intervals of several years and find something new, something that might previously have been skimmed over but which now springs to life in a way that corresponds with other things one has learned or experienced in the mean time.

Last week I re-read Margery Allingham's The China Governess, found it far better than I'd previously thought and was unexpectedly moved by its ending. Why was this - my increasing age? the new information concerning Pip's unknown son? a different understanding of Margery's craft now that I have spent more time learning to write fiction for myself? 

I think more clearly when I write, so I tapped out a short article to try and answer this question.

The China Governess: an apology