Of the many bizarre subcultures that flourish like bacteria in the corners of the internet, one of the most disturbing is the paedophile hunters. Not aligned to any police force, these are citizen vigilantes who create online accounts to pose as underage boys or girls, employing fake photos to cast their bait until an adult engages, at which point they entrap him in a sting operation that leads to his arrest. The ethics of such behaviour are questionable and those involved in such entrapments are clearly battling demons of their own.
Nilesha Chauvet explores this phenomenon in her debut novel, narrated by the eponymous Rita Marsh, who, along with two men, runs a group called Raven Justice. When we first meet her, she’s snared another predator, and seen him arrested, but within days is forced to deal with the aftermath of his suicide.
The reappearance in her life of an old friend, Leila, coincides with an ongoing scandal involving their former teacher, now a successful novelist, who’s been arrested on charges of grooming girls under his care. When Leila reveals her historic relationship with him, Rita is appalled by her insistence that their affair was consensual, noting that a child cannot consent to sex with an adult; any sexual relationship between the two, both legally and morally, is considered rape.
Chauvet creates a convincing narrative voice in Rita, who runs a care home for elderly patients with dementia, although only two remain in residence. Her brief tryst with Leila many years earlier has left an unhealed scar and the more her past is revealed, the more authentic her solitude and pain feel.
There is much to think about in this provocative novel. The teacher, Michael Stellans, encounters Rita’s version of justice in an unexpected way, while the reunion between her and Leila becomes a tinderbox. Chauvet forces the reader to question the ethics of her character’s actions, offering no simplistic answers. The damage causes damage, the hurt inflicts hurt, and the lines between the innocent and guilty are so carefully drawn that the reader is left uncertain with whom to side. Which, in itself, makes the book memorable and an intriguing start to a new writer’s career.
- John Boyne’s new novel, Fire, is out on November 7th
