The Finding is a 1985 children's novel by Nina Bawden (of Carries War fame). It focuses on eleven year old Alex who was adopted after being found on one of the sphinxes by the Thames as an infant. Alex grows up in a fairly happy and healthy family (save for his jealous older sister Laura) until their elderly neighbour, Mrs Angel leaves him a fortune, seemingly because she believes he is her grandson. The ensuing publicity and fall out causes Alex to question his place within the family and eventually run away.
The book provides examples of:
- Abusive Parents: Mrs Angel psychologically abused and controlled her daughter, refusing to let her live her own life and start a family of her own to the point where she ran away.
- Petal's father physically beat her, causing her to run away from home to protect both herself and her unborn child.
- Acquainted with Emergency Services: It turns out Poll is well acquainted with the police due to her shoplifting and other petty crimes. Poll is reluctant to let Alex go immediately because if he's found in the area, they will immediately suspect she's causing trouble again.
- Apron Matron: Poll, the large but kindly lady who takes Alex in when he runs away. She houses a number of runaways in her rather rundown home and is pretty stern with them. She's tough enough that even the angry and violent Jake won't mess with her.
- Big Sister Instinct: Laura might be jealous of Alex and cruel to him at times but she becomes enraged when a photographer starts taking pictures of Alex, knowing this has the potential to blow up in their faces. When Alex runs away, Laura starts desperately praying for answers as to where he might be.
- Book Ends: At the start of the book, Alex is found on the left sphinx by Cleopatra's Needle on the Thames embankment. The novel ends with his family finding him in the same place.
- Born Lucky: Alex is lucky enough to be found on The Sphinx before anything terrible happens to him, lucky enough to be adopted into a loving and stable family, and lucky enough to inherit a large amount of money from an elderly lady just because he went to visit her with his grandmother.
- Cathartic Chores: Alex running away prompts his mother and Laura to clean all the pottery in the house to cope with their worry.
- Children Are Innocent: A photographer from a local newspaper takes some pictures of Alex. Laura immediately objects, sensing the further trouble this could put him in. Alex is clueless about what this all means until much later when he spots the article in Poll's halfway home, and all of her lodgers know his story.
- Alex also doesn't do too well when all alone in London. Within minutes of being out by himself, he has his post office savings book and calculator stolen, and that's before he meets Poll and her lodgers.
- Driven to Suicide: This is what Poll believes happened to Alex's biological mother, based on the fact she left him in a distinct place where he would easily be found and taken in, and then most likely jumped in the river.
- Dysfunctional Family: As it turns out Mrs Angel's family. Mrs Angel herself was actually very controlling of her daughter, to the point where she ran away with an Indian doctor from the hospital she worked at. And it's clear she doesn't get along with her nephew Eric either. He outright states if it hadn't been for Alex, she would have simply found another way to cut him out of any inheritance.
- Five-Finger Discount: Poll tricks Alex into doing this by hiding food in his backpack and claiming it's because the trolley is getting full. When she goes to the till, she hides Alex's bag, even as he is about to empty it to get away without paying. She claims she does this because she has 'some big boys to feed' and doesn't want them to live on scraps.
- Foil: Poll, to Alex. At the end of the book she reveals she was also found but, unlike Alex who grew up in a loving and stable home, she grew up in an orphanage and has lived in near poverty for most of her life.
- Foreshadowing: When Alex's grandmother remarks on how much Alex looks like Mrs Angel's daughter, Mrs Angel replies "If you say so, Amy." It's a very heavy hint that there is no real relation between them and Mrs Angel simply uses Amy's belief in a possible relation as a quick way to cut her nephew out of inheriting everything.
- Four-Temperament Ensemble: Poll and her lodgers all fit the bill. Poll herself is the Melancholic, violent and hot tempered Jake is the Choleric, the big biker Samson is the Sanguine and sweet natured Petal is the Phlegmatic.
- Gentle Giant: Samson. He's a big, heavy set biker but is nice and jovial to Alex, and is the one who gets him back to where Poll picked him up.
- Good Is Not Soft: Poll is a kindly but gruff woman who takes Alex in when he's on the streets, alongside numerous other outcasts, misfits and runaways. One of the first things she does is thump a hooligan for picking on Alex.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Laura is often jealous of Alex because of the extra attention their grandmother gives him. It causes her to act somewhat cruelly when the question of his parentage comes up. However, when Alex runs away at the halfway point, Laura is just as devastated as everyone else and begin praying fervantly for his safe return.
- Happily Adopted: Alex has never really looked into his own parentage because he's already happy with the family he has. He runs away from home because he thinks him being found is the cause of all their problems and is scared his birth mother will come to take him away. In the end it is never revealed who his birth mother is because that doesn't matter. He already has a loving family who will do anything to help him out.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Eric Foley is rather cold and mean spirited to Alex and disputes his aunt's will. However when he visits Alex's family, he mentions he meant him no ill will and consoles them over their loss. Then there's the fact he has taken care of Mrs Angel since the disappearance of her daughter for years without so much as a thank you.
- Lean and Mean: Jake is described as being rather thin but he's definitely one of the nastiest characters in the book; due to him being violent and being protective of his knife. Poll even admits he's a 'bad lad' and only took him in because she believes even bad people deserve second chances.
- Meaningful Name: Samson is named after the Biblical character and he's certainly a big fellow. He lampshades this by stating his mother was really into religion.
- My Beloved Smother: Mrs Angel, according to Eric Foley. She demanded her daughter Dorothy remain by her side and expressed outright disapproval of her dating any men, to the point where Dorothy was still single in her late thirties, despite being "dotty about babies" and clearly wanting children. It's implied she's not very nice to her nephew either.
- Never Say "Die": Downplayed. The book has no problem mentioning Mrs Angel's death but Poll's discussion of Alex's birth mother's potential suicide is cloaked in euphemisms.
- No Name Given: Alex's mother. His father is called George and his grandmother is called Amy but his mother's name is never revealed.
- Parental Abandonment: Alex was left on the sphinxes by Cleopatra's needle. Poll reveals that her mother left her on the steps of a church, most likely due to having her out of wedlock.
- Parental Favouritism: Laura accuses her parents of favoring Alex over her. It's justified in the case of their grandmother who does treat Alex more favorably because he's not their flesh and blood. Less so with their parents who are determined to treat all their children equally.
- The Runaway: Alex running away causes a huge upset in the family, with his mother frequently breaking down in tears. When Alex's father reveals Alex's post office savings book was found near the Thames, his mother assumes the worst and becomes inconsolable.
- Stepford Smiler: Alex's mother becomes this as the strain of the publicity surrounding the inheritance gets to her. She smiles a lot but easily snaps at her children due to the stress.
- Petal, the kindest and most upbeat of Poll's lodgers is later revealed to be on the run from her abusive father.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Poll reveals just how much money Alex is set to inherit but she warns him he most likely won't get all of it. He'll most likely have to pay taxes on it and may end up with some legal fees to pay, and if they find Mrs Angel's daughter, he'll only get half of it.
- Teens Are Monsters: The teens in the cafe. Not only do they play cruel pranks on each other, harm a bucket of toads, and steal Alex's post office savings book and calculator. And then there's Jake.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Poll scolds Alex for running away from his loving and stable family and reminds him of just how lucky he really is. Alex pretty much agrees with her and admits he wants to go home.
