Ghost Child

By: Caroline Overington

Narrated by: Tai Hara, Zindzi Okenyo

Length: 8 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

Caroline Overington's stunning fiction debut is a multi-voiced novel centred around a child's death and its terrible repercussions.

In 1982 Victorian police were called to a home on a housing estate an hour west of Melbourne. There, they found a five-year-old boy lying still and silent on the carpet. There were no obvious signs of trauma, but the child, Jacob, died the next day.

The story made the headlines, and hundreds attended the funeral. Few people were surprised when the boy's mother and her boyfriend went to prison for the crime. Police declared themselves satisfied with the result, saying there was no doubt that justice had been done.

And yet, for years rumours swept the estate and clung like cobwebs to the long-vacant house: there had been a cover-up. The real perpetrator, at least according to local gossip, was the boy's six-year-old sister, Lauren....

Twenty years on, Lauren has created a new life for herself, but details of Jacob's death begin to resurface and the story again makes the newspapers. As Lauren struggles with the ghosts of her childhood, it seems only a matter of time before the past catches up with her.

©2010 Caroline Overington (P)2021 Audible Australia Pty Ltd.

Well presented

Tragic story that was told with empathy. The various viewpoints allowed a fuller picture of consequences for children raised in dysfunctional family and then system.

Riveting

The author's mix of technical information, and circumstances in an easy to understand format, is amazing. I hope there are more books I can read by the author and I recommend this book whole heartedly. ~Chris Hall

Ghost child. So informative .

Foster care of children damaged by a crime ?Not the everyday subject one would seek exciting storytelling. This really did it ! Not over written and paced well .
Thank you

second book by her and loved it

there's no question that the stories written by Caroline overington are going to have a very wide affect emotionally on people depending on where they are in their life and how much street-smart they have or how sheltered they are. What I mean is, these are very true life stories, very heartbreaking and unfortunately the reality of what this world is like. I have done foster care for 13 years and this book was spot-on from every aspect. again, it's heartbreaking so don't expect a happy feel good comedy.

Surprised it’s free

I’m crying. So well thought out. So much tragedy. So many layers. It delves deeply into what shapes us, How guilt ruins us.
Why we are who we are. It’s the Baggage we won’t let go of. The victim we embrace in ourselves, the possibility of leaving those self destructive tendencies behind. The deficiencies of “the system”. It’s about discrimination of the poor the uneducated the disabled. I’m surprised how much it moved me.

Incredible Find

This was not what I expected. So very well written, with stellar performances. Well done Audible Australia.

I admit that at times I wanted to stop listening because of the circumstances in the story, but such great characters couldn't be abandoned.

So glad I found this hidden gem.

started strong, then fizzled

loved the narration...story was interesting for the first 3/4 of the book then just seemed rushed to q lackluster ending. i wanted to love it and i did love the multiple character perspectives and glimpses into the system but that last 1/4 was just bland and disappointing.

Ok

Was an ok read. Couldn’t stop listening tho cuz had to find out what happened.

Interesting look at a child's life

I really enjoyed this story. I did not enjoy one of the male narrators choice to make a strange voice for one of the female characters. I definitely would have preferred to change that.

Emotional and impressive must-have. Indeed!

Author Caroline Overington again brings us another unique, suspenseful and gripping listen. Both narrators Tai Hara and Zindzi Okenyo work brilliantly together. Focusing on a 10-year-old murder, the story is told from various points of view of the detective, the victim’s sister and the family involved. The investigation leads us through the events before and during the murder. Going back and forth in time, it is well paced and an audictive, though sad, listen. Well worth a credit, however, i lucked out in finding it in Audible Plus at no charge. Highly recommended.

✍🏻👏⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✍🏻👏