Mary: An Awakening of Terror

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He stays this way for a long time, hands on his upper thighs, bent at the waist, regarding the body as if it were a work of inscrutable art on display— maybe it is—when a harried voice shouts from down the hallway. Mary, Mary, quite extraordinary... How does your novel grow? With pillow cases hiding sliced off faces, and porcelain dolls all in a row. With an acidic sense of humor more barbed than any cactus, Nat Cassidy's fast-paced Mary is a perfect blend of Stephen King's Dolores Claiborne and Frank De Felitta's Audrey Rose. This book goes out to all those bad seeds who have gone beyond their bloom and entered the twilight of their murderous lives.”—Clay McLeod Chapman, author of The Remaking

Another shriek peals through the building. The red-haired deputy snaps to attention, but instead of running to the direction of the noise, he bolts up the stairs, pushing past the sheriff, like a man who just realized he’d left the gas on. We found him!” the voice yells again, louder, closer. One of his deputies, running into the room, panting either from excitement or exertion. “We—” The deputy breaks off, seeing the scene in the bathroom: the dead woman, the sheriff, bent as if ready to whisper something only for her benefit. Nat Cassidy is such an interesting new voice within horror literature. This quote from the Author’s Notes section at the beginning was highly relatable to me;

Nat Cassidy

Sheriff Brannigan stares at the woman, leans toward her. He’s gripped by a sudden, strong urge to reach out, yank that pillowcase off her head, get that awful unveiling over with and confront her face-to-almost-face. He doesn’t. He knows the horrors waiting underneath that fabric all too well. He’s seen it dozens of times on dozens of morgue slabs and in dozens of crimes scenes already. Plus, his arms are beginning to feel strangely heavy and useless. So he settles for just … staring.

It's hard to believe a man wrote this. Not because its about a woman going through peri-menopause, but because of its insight in to the female condition. The writing is witty, thoughtful, and atmospheric, reminiscent of T. Kingfisher. The rich desert setting with an odd community of inhabitants reminded me of Sundial by Catriona Ward. I would also compare his writing to Sara Gran based solely on a vibe that I can't for the life of me put into earthly words.

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My god, I so loved this book! I think I will write a more detailed review later, but I first want the greatness to sink in... Other than that, Sheriff Brannigan thinks, it’s a pretty nice bathroom. At least compared to any bathroom he’s ever had. This is a bit of a slow burn, so go into it with that expectation. And, though each chapter in Mary's journey is wild, riveting, and chaotic, this isn't one to read for the twists. Rather, it is an exploration of human nature and finding oneself. My favorite horror novels use monsters or ghosts etc. as a metaphor for the things that haunt us in life. This story does just that, and so well!