Girls Who Lie by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir

Author:Eva Björg Ægisdóttir
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Orenda Books Ltd
Published: 2021-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

Elma wasn’t sure how she felt after their conversation with the social worker. As she walked away from the grey building that housed the Borgarfjörður branch of the Child Protection Agency, the sick feeling in her stomach wasn’t solely due to hunger. In the line of duty she had often seen broken homes, in which parents with addiction or mental problems were given endless chances that they rarely put to good use, while their children stood helplessly by, in situations that no child should have to endure. Often they couldn’t express themselves or communicate their own wishes, and even when they did, the authorities turned a deaf ear. In Elma’s opinion, the system was fundamentally flawed, designed to serve, not the best interests of the children, but some other purpose altogether.

She got into the car and stared silently out of the window.

‘Are you OK?’ Sævar asked.

‘Yes,’ Elma replied, without looking at him. She was picturing Hekla, three years old, alone in the flat, waiting for a mother who never came home. What impact might a traumatic experience like that have on a child?

‘The system stinks,’ Sævar said after a moment. Elma turned to him in surprise. ‘I’ve seen it over and over again,’ he went on, ‘and I know you have too.’

Elma nodded. ‘I just feel like … like it should be possible to do more. Do you know what I mean?’

‘Yes,’ Sævar said, and started the car. ‘Still, at least we’re trying.’ He gave her an encouraging smile, then changed the subject. ‘Hungry?’

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