The Red Shoe is a story with the child’s point of view at its
centre. Set around Easter 1954 and looking back to a significant
event of the previous Boxing Day, we see a family in a time of
crisis. There are three daughters aged 6, 11 and 15, a mother, a
father who is often absent on his ship, and Uncle Paul. Around
them are contemporary events involving Russian spies, children
dying of polio, and various Sydney murders and misadventures,
captured in newspaper clippings placed between many of the
chapters. But there is also the possibility of going to the
Royal Easter Show, family picnics, trips to the beach and school
parades. In spite of the child’s point of view, this story deals
with some serious issues. The father is suffering from the
after-effects of trauma so his depression and the shocking
possibility of suicide create a fearful backdrop to the story.
Looking back on The Red Shoe is like viewing a tapestry that
reveals greater depths as you move from capturing the big
picture to looking into each det