Stef Penney - The Invisible Ones

review by Corinna christopher on recorded show December 2011

“The Tenderness of Wolves” was this author’s first book and was an international bestseller. Although this book does not have quite the same evocative lyrical narration it is nevertheless an unusual and interesting book.

Rose Janko married Ivo Janko and thus became part of a travelling Gypsy family. However she is missing and thereby lies the mystery of this intriguing story. It was rumoured that she had ran off after the birth of a boy who had inherited the family’ genetic disability and she could not cope with this fact.

Seven years later her father Leon is not so sure and wants to discover the truth. He hires Ray Leon a private investigator who has the added advantage of being of Gypsy descent. The trail has run cold and Ray finds that the Jankos are not very helpful – Why don’t they want to find Rose ?

We are now drawn into the Janko family history which is fascinating and mysterious. JJ the young lad who tells the tale in alternative chapters with Ray, lives with his mother, father having vanished at birth. His home is one of five caravans occupied by Gran and Grandad, great uncle Tene wheelchair bound and Ivo with the young disabled son Christo.
JJ goes to the local school where he tries to fit in with great difficulty. His brief friendship with a girl is touching and brings out the differences between Gypsies and the local community. At one stage there is a visit to Lourdes in France with the young Christo to see if he can be healed. His father Ivo had the same condition as a boy and subsequently was apparently cured.

Ray is soon involved with the Janko family and gradually he manages to unravel their secrets. At one point the police discover human bones in an old Gypsy site and this leads to all kinds of conjecture. It is a slow and difficult task and along the way he falls for Lulu one of the aunts, this is an added complication. The truth when it emerges at the end is tantalising and shocking. I did not see it coming !!

The main characters of JJ and Ray are likeable, honest people who genuinely want to help if they can. The fact that Ray ends up in hospital as the result of what he finds out does not deter him. JJ finds that the behaviour of adults around him difficult to explain but throughout the book the reader is aware of the great love and bond the Gypsy community have with each other in spite of the dark secrets.

I found information concerning the Gypsy way of life of great interest and the unusual background of the novel made it a gripping read with an excellent plot. To reveal more details would spoil it for anyone wishing to read this book although we do find out eventually what happened to Rose Janko!