Back to the Books: A Candle in her Room

A reviewer on Goodreads called "A Candle in her Room" by Ruth M. Arthur "Jane Eyre" meets "Jane Emily."

I almost cheered aloud. What a great way to describe a wonderful book!

You, see I'd  read all three books around the same time in my life and loved, loved, loved all three. Even today, the above three books are among my top favorite books ever.

But "A Candle In Her Room" was THE book that cemented my desire to become a writer and :"A Candle In Her Room" fanned my passion for books about remote places, old houses, isolated people, evil that lurks in shadows, and mood-intensifying pen and ink artwork.

Here is the synopsis:

Melissa was sure it was the doll, Dido, who brought evil to the family, not once, but again and again. Three generations were haunted by the strange wooden doll. Each time Dido came to light there was disaster and tragedy. What could be done to overcome the power of the doll? This is a book about many things: evil, the dimensions of reality, the flow of generations, and surprisingly, the power of love.

If you've read any of my books, you'll see shades of these elements.

Not only did "A Candle In Her Room" feature a protagonist named Melissa (my favorite protag name as a child - I used the name for nearly every short story I ever wrote), it introduced me to an unusual girl's name: Briony.

The more common spelling is "Bryony."

And I did not connect the two until years after I published my first book and realized the strength of my subconscious and how my muse had drawn from past words and story arcs I'd adored.

My copy was a softcover that I ordered from the paper Scholastic book catalogues we used to receive in school. I always ordered lots of books and took them home in a big box.

That copy of "A Candle In Her Room" fell apart ages ago. But I'm fortunate to own a hard cover that Ron rescued from the trash at a school library.

I say "fortunate" because I've seen it priced at thirty dollars or more on Amazon as this book is out-of-print.

Interestingly, I've never read another book by Ruth M. Arthur. When I was younger, internet didn't exist, so I hadn't any means to discover her other titles.

Of course, that's not my excuse now. But I can't justify ordering another Arthur book when money is tight elsewhere. 

Below are a sampling of illustrations from "A Candle In Her Room" (including Melissa examining the doll her younger sister Briony had found) along with a screenshot of the book's simple and foreshadowing opening words.

Enjoy!