The Mischief Makers

The Mischief Makers by Elisabeth Gifford is an autobiographical novel about the enigmatic author Daphne Du Maurier ,every bit as complex and compelling as any of her fictional characters.

The book is very much centred around relationships and hardly any of the close ones in Daphne's world were straightforward, something she ponders on at the beginning of the book which finds her reflecting on her past and on the point of a nervous breakdown.
The book largely centres around one of these relationships,that of her beloved "Uncle Jim", the author best known for writing Peter Pan ,J.M.Barrie. While not a blood relative Barrie adopted Daphne's 5 cousins and they grew in a world of laughter, adventures , and amazing stories woven around those stories that eventually were introduced to the world as Peter Pan. So why after a childhood that was almost literally a fairytale were the boys lives later dogged by tragedy and depression ? Why did that appear to be the fate of many who came into the orbit of someone who on the surface spread laughter and magic wherever he went? As Daphne unravels the complex workings of the mind of Uncle Jim she looks at herself and ponders on her own complexities and how she's affected the lives of those close to her.

At the beginning of the book I was immediately hooked then it seemed to meander somewhat into straight autobiography for a while .Daphne's early life is sketched and her family members are introduced,which of course is essential proved to be clever as from those often vague outlines the various characters become increasingly fleshed out as the book progresses and we learn their true natures and the effect they had on Daphne as their role in her life and thoughts in later life becomes clear.
From what I started this review calling an "autobiographical novel" the book delves deeper and deeper into the psychology of Daphne , those in her various circles and their often,mostly in fact, destructive and dysfunctional relationships with each other .
One love that Daphne did,almost uniquely,not crash into a wall was her love of the beautiful part of Cornwall that she lived in and was the place she found most peace,beautifully described by Elisabeth Gifford, who spent time walking in Daphne's footsteps and even briefly living in the place she loved most as part of her research for this book.

I loved this book, the essential character introduction early chapters nearly had thinking that this was going to be little more than a fictionalised and enlarged Wikipedia article but thankfully I was very wrong. Daphne's life was mixing with the rich and famous, affairs , sexual confusion, family secrets, reflection, mental illness and an eventual awareness of herself and others,not least everyone's favourite Uncle,the man whose most famous book for children hides a darkness in plain sight.