Something Might Happen
Encyclopedia
Something Might Happen is a novel by Julie Myerson
about a murder
in a small English
seaside town and how it affects the community as well as friends and family of the murder victim. The story is not a whodunnit although it incorporates various elements of the crime novel
. The first person narrator
is Tess, a 39 year-old osteopath
and mother of four who was also the victim's closest friend.
One Monday night in early October, Leonora Daniels ("Lennie") is brutally murdered on her way home from a PTA
meeting. Without sexually assaulting her, her killer cuts her heart out of her body and disappears with it, leaving Lennie's mutilated body there in a car park near the seafront.
The first reaction of the townspeople is shock: They have always considered the place a safe town where you do not even have to lock up during the day. However, they easily adapt to the changing circumstances. More people, most of them police, means more business, so opening hours are extended and new stock is ordered.
It soon turns out that the police do not have any clue as to the identity of the murderer. Human nature is longing to put the blame on someone -- anyone --, so Darren Sims, the 17 year-old village idiot, is chosen as their scapegoat
, but the police, hopeful at first, have to clear him of any suspicion.
The murder and the hunt for the killer upset the lives of two families in particular: On the one hand, there is Alex Daniels and his two young sons; on the other hand, Mick and Tess and their four children are also badly affected by what is happening in the wake of the tragedy. Alex, who is a furniture designer, insists on making his wife's coffin himself. Tess, whose youngest is only five months old, is curiously attracted to Ted Lacey, a young man working for the police who is trained to offer 24 hour psychological support to Alex and his boys. At the same time she is confronted with her own atheism when she is asked by one of the kids where Lennie now is -- in heaven or at the morgue
. Mick, Tess's husband, half-heartedly plans to leave his family, no matter how much they are already suffering.
Tess's 11 year-old daughter Rosa tries to cope with the unexpected and violent death by claiming she can still see Lennie and communicate with her. On the night before the funeral, Rosa ventures out on a groyne
, seemingly to be closer to her dead maternal friend, but falls into the water and drowns, while her mother is committing adultery with Lacey in a beach hut not far away.
No great changes occur after that. Mick, Tess and their three remaining kids move away from the seaside town while Alex marries again. Tess wonders briefly if she will ever see Ted Lacey again.
Julie Myerson
Julie Myerson is an English author and critic. As well as writing both fiction and non-fiction books, she is also known for having written a long-running column in The Guardian entitled "Living with Teenagers" based on her own family experiences...
about a murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
in a small English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
seaside town and how it affects the community as well as friends and family of the murder victim. The story is not a whodunnit although it incorporates various elements of the crime novel
Crime fiction
Crime fiction is the literary genre that fictionalizes crimes, their detection, criminals and their motives. It is usually distinguished from mainstream fiction and other genres such as science fiction or historical fiction, but boundaries can be, and indeed are, blurred...
. The first person narrator
Narrator
A narrator is, within any story , the fictional or non-fictional, personal or impersonal entity who tells the story to the audience. When the narrator is also a character within the story, he or she is sometimes known as the viewpoint character. The narrator is one of three entities responsible for...
is Tess, a 39 year-old osteopath
Osteopathy
Osteopathy and osteopathic medicine are often used interchangeably for the philosophy and system of alternative medical practice first proposed by A. T. Still MD, DO in 1874....
and mother of four who was also the victim's closest friend.
One Monday night in early October, Leonora Daniels ("Lennie") is brutally murdered on her way home from a PTA
PTA
-Organizations:* Andalusia Technology Park , a science park in Málaga, Spain* Parent-Teacher Association* Pakistan Telecommunication Authority* Passenger transport authority, a United Kingdom local government authority...
meeting. Without sexually assaulting her, her killer cuts her heart out of her body and disappears with it, leaving Lennie's mutilated body there in a car park near the seafront.
The first reaction of the townspeople is shock: They have always considered the place a safe town where you do not even have to lock up during the day. However, they easily adapt to the changing circumstances. More people, most of them police, means more business, so opening hours are extended and new stock is ordered.
It soon turns out that the police do not have any clue as to the identity of the murderer. Human nature is longing to put the blame on someone -- anyone --, so Darren Sims, the 17 year-old village idiot, is chosen as their scapegoat
Scapegoat
Scapegoating is the practice of singling out any party for unmerited negative treatment or blame. Scapegoating may be conducted by individuals against individuals , individuals against groups , groups against individuals , and groups against groups Scapegoating is the practice of singling out any...
, but the police, hopeful at first, have to clear him of any suspicion.
The murder and the hunt for the killer upset the lives of two families in particular: On the one hand, there is Alex Daniels and his two young sons; on the other hand, Mick and Tess and their four children are also badly affected by what is happening in the wake of the tragedy. Alex, who is a furniture designer, insists on making his wife's coffin himself. Tess, whose youngest is only five months old, is curiously attracted to Ted Lacey, a young man working for the police who is trained to offer 24 hour psychological support to Alex and his boys. At the same time she is confronted with her own atheism when she is asked by one of the kids where Lennie now is -- in heaven or at the morgue
Morgue
A morgue or mortuary is used for the storage of human corpses awaiting identification, or removal for autopsy or disposal by burial, cremation or otherwise...
. Mick, Tess's husband, half-heartedly plans to leave his family, no matter how much they are already suffering.
Tess's 11 year-old daughter Rosa tries to cope with the unexpected and violent death by claiming she can still see Lennie and communicate with her. On the night before the funeral, Rosa ventures out on a groyne
Groyne
A groyne is a rigid hydraulic structure built from an ocean shore or from a bank that interrupts water flow and limits the movement of sediment. In the ocean, groynes create beaches, or avoid having them washed away by longshore drift. In a river, groynes prevent erosion and ice-jamming, which...
, seemingly to be closer to her dead maternal friend, but falls into the water and drowns, while her mother is committing adultery with Lacey in a beach hut not far away.
No great changes occur after that. Mick, Tess and their three remaining kids move away from the seaside town while Alex marries again. Tess wonders briefly if she will ever see Ted Lacey again.