How do we know if kindness is real or just an act? What if the smile of a child hides something far more evil? And what if a child calmly tells you her plan of killing her mother? Do we then just brush it off as fantasy, or do we take it seriously because it is our responsibility to do so? In Trio for Four Voices (2018), written by Jane McLaughlin, the narrator is placed in a psychological situation, where appearance is carefully shaped and reality becomes blurred. What begins with an interest of an elegant American family, slowly turns into an uncomfortable and confusing situation. Through the uncomfortable dialogue and the worrying confidence in a child. McLaughlin explores manipulation and the thin line between innocence and manipulation.
On a sunny day, the narrator is observing an American family from her balcony at her hotel. What she doesn’t know yet, is that this isn’t a typical family. She is fascinated by the father and daughter. At first, the family looks like a peaceful family. However, as the story unfolds, the narrator witness’s strange behavior in the child.
During dinner, the daughter approaches her and shares an alarming secret. She says she hates her mother and plans to kill her, with her father’s help (l. 40). The narrator is chocked, but the child insists that her mother has already tried to commit suicide.
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