When they arrived home, her father exploded. “How dare you embarrass us like that—disappearing with a priest! In the name of all that is holy, what were you thinking?” He swaggered, red-faced and sputtering, toward her. The sour whiskey smell on his breath burned her nostrils and she wished she was anywhere but home. Why couldn’t she be with Cullen walking along the river? Her father was so angry she felt as if she would never get out of the house again.
His hand came up, as if he was going to strike her. He had spanked her when she was a child, but had never threatened anything as brutal as a slap.
Her mother shivered on the couch.
“It wasn’t my fault, Da,” Teagan pleaded. “It was like Father Mark said.” But she knew the priest had lied about the holy books and wondered why. Perhaps he didn’t want her father to know they had gone to the cellar to pick out wine; after all, she wasn’t old enough to drink. She suspected he was covering for her so she wouldn’t get in trouble.
Her father leaned toward her, the saliva from his angry words splashing across her cheek. “Don’t lie to me. I know what you were thinking. Your slutty behavior will get you into trouble, mark my words. Do you hear me?”
She nodded her head in shame, and tears welled in her eyes. “I didn’t do anything wrong. Ma, tell him!”
He raised his hand again.
Her mother screamed, “Stop!”
The shrill sound startled her father. Teagan raced up the stairs to her bedroom.
“And don’t come down until you can apologize,” he shouted after her. “For Christ’s sake, me own daughter tempting a man of God.”
She collapsed on her bed, crushed a pillow against her, and cried until she gasped for breath. The room, hot from the sun, swam around her. She hadn’t done anything but be nice to a priest. What was so wrong about that? She threw the pillow across the room, sat up, and looked out the window. If only she were with Cullen, instead of banished to her room. The floral curtains barely moved in the heat.
After about an hour of thinking about what she should do, she decided an apology to her father was in order—not because she was wrong, but to keep peace in the family. To give in was easier than fighting. His drinking seemed to be getting worse each year, his thinking more irrational under the influence of alcohol. She knew how much there was to lose. A few vague memories came back to her—ones she didn’t care to remember—shouting matches that ended with her mother in tears. She had been aware of it when she was young, but had managed to shove the hurt aside. Her mother had never been able to stand up to her father when he was drunk. At least today she had screamed rather than sit like a lump on the couch. Her mother was as frightened as she was that a confrontation might tear the family apart.
She also thought about Father Mark. Was he thinking about her?
She got up and looked in the mirror. Her eyes were red and puffy, her coiffed hair a frazzled mess. The rose had withered, the stem broken. She reached behind her neck to unclasp the hooks of her white dress and then sank again on the bed. Her jumper! She had left it in Father Matthew’s cellar. Her mother would be furious about her carelessness, not to mention the expense of replacing it. How could she get it back? She’d have to ask Father Mark to return it, and that would require a phone call. She would have to be cautious about approaching the priest. But she wanted to see him again, if only to find out why he had lied to her father.
About the Author
V.S. Alexander is an ardent student of history and the arts and loves writing historical fiction with strong female protagonists. The author of several novels and short stories, Alexander’s first novel was The Magdalen Girls, an Amazon best seller, set in 1962 Dublin. V.S. is currently at work on a third book, set in 19th Century Ireland, with additional titles planned for later release. The author lives in South Florida where summer is never far away.
Review
“An absorbing, well-researched story that brings to life an extraordinary period in history, told from within the inner circle of one of the twentieth-century’s most notorious characters.”
“Alexander tells the thrilling stories of Magda’s rise through the upper echelon of Nazi loyalists, the intrigue and rumors swirling around the German war effort, and the downfall of the party, in 1945. He does not glorify Hitler and the horrors of the Nazis but marries history and fiction in an attempt to humanize the citizens swept up in the turbulence of the times. This haunting and engrossing novel will appeal to fans of Anthony Doerr and Kristin Hannah.”
“Alexander’s intimate writing style gives readers openings to wonder about what tough decisions they would have made in Magda’s situation. The ‘taster’s’ story adds to a body of nuanced World War II fiction such as Elizabeth Wein’s Code Name Verity, Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See, and Tatiana de Rosnay’s Sarah’s Key. Book clubs and historical fiction fans will love discussing this and will eagerly await more from Alexander.”
“Alexander sweeps readers into a different WWII novel, exploring the inner circle at Hitler’s mountain retreat through the eyes of a German girl. This well-researched novel allows readers an intimate glimpse into Hitler’s mental state, Eva Braun’s place in his life, and his war strategies. Alexander deliberately changes what could be a tense portrait of the era into a calm picture of the bucolic lifestyle of the retreat. Yet, readers still feel the tension between the Nazis, the ordinary German people, and the resistance, as one woman is caught in a moral dilemma with only her courage to keep her alive. Certainly, this book is an interesting re-imagining of a key moment in history.”
“A totally gripping and credible imagining of how a young German woman was affected by the building chaos and cruelty during the late stages of Hitler’s rule. It gains its power through the very special perspective of its main character, who is also the narrator… Through her, Mr. Alexander creates an impressive and engaging novel that humanizes historical events and provides the rich texture of a life meeting momentous challenges in momentous times. The Taster has a few similarities with his earlier The Magdalen Girls. Both involve a community of women living in severely confined situations. Both offer an unusually complex, nuanced rendering of a young woman’s personality (unusual, that is, for a male writer). And both demonstrate a great talent for blending recovered fact with vivid imagination.”
Praise for V. S. Alexander and
THE MAGDALEN GIRLS
“A haunting novel that takes the reader into the cruel world of Ireland’s Magdalen laundries, The Magdalen Girls shines a light on yet another notorious institution that somehow survived into the late twentieth century. A real page-turner!”