' A CRUEL TWIST OF FATE ' : BOOK REVIEW

H.F. ASKWITH'S successful debut novel, A Dark Inheritance, appears to have spurred her on towards writing a gothic thriller for young adults set in 19th century Britain - A Cruel Twist of Fate.

The 18-year-old heroine, Helena Timber, lives with her mother in very impoverished London lodgings, but takes great pride and joy in their trade - the creation of confectionery.

Working carefully with sugar [ which when heated possesses the ability to burn the skin off a clumsy chef ] she delights in making a staggeringly diverse variety of toffees and sweets.

Unfortunately, her mother's debts have led to her being one step away from debtor's prison. Desperately using forged professional references in order to gain a post as a governess with a rich and reclusive family.

Helena embarks on a journey to a mysterious manor house on the island of Sighfeyre.

She is unable to prevent her mother's creditors from carting her hapless parents off to debtor's prison; however the prospect of good salary [which she hopes will enable her to free her mother] heartens Helena, as she establishes herself within Manor.

One would have expected the manor to be grim and forbidden but while it isn't precisely a cheerful haven, the best word to describe it would be ''eccentric.''

Helena's employers, the Cauldwell family, are inventors who credit themselves with creating things that range from innovative though mundane [ such as a variety of nifty cooking appliances ] to archways on the roof that can enable one to time-travel!

'' A Cruel Twist of Fate '' is entertainment, not literature, but it is the type of book that can achieve the twin aims of providing pleasure and enhancing a young person's / student's desire to develop an ongoing reading agenda.

The World Students Society thanks Professor Nadya Chishty Mujahid, who teaches social sciences and liberal arts at the Institute of  Business Administration, Karachi, Pakistan.

She has authored two collections of short stories, Timeless College Tales and Perennial College Tales, and a play,  The Political Chess King.