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Mary: An Awakening of Terror

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Honestly though look at the world what's the difference because this stuff and worse happens every day to literal children. It’s very interesting to imagine the story taking that form—it feels so perfectly suited to being a novel. Not that I really believe in solid good or evil; they are simply two symbolic extremes, and I dig a little evil in my literature. I find Nat Cassidy's writing to be extremely engaging, boasting a consistent level of hysterical energy, and at times morbidly sarcastic; which softens the overly generous page count that can probably use some further trimming.

I really didn’t like the author's writing style and his characterizing, it just felt very one dimensional (especially the main character).Mary realizes this is the perfect time to escape New York after being fired from her job, but quickly notices that she has bigger issues at hand. I love the lady earlier saying "I didn't know we were doing children now" like wow nothing is too much for these people. Nadine is verbally abusive and mean, but then as soon as Mary is on her own, there's a transformation. And yet in spite of these numbers I won’t disclose, there were a few books I was hoping I’d pick up but were unable to obtain either because they weren’t there or the timing was off. And the comparison to Midsommer was a big reason that I requested it, only to have about…zero parallels to the movie.

This book also dives into social topics that aren’t really discussed to much—perimenopause and the treatment of women once they reach a certain age. The premise had so much potential: what happened if Stephen King’s Carrie was a middle aged woman and had a chance to confront her bullies? Instead, visions of terrifying, mutilated specters overwhelm her with increasing regularity and she begins auto-writing strange thoughts and phrases. It ended up being one of my favorites of last year, and is genuinely one of the most unique/memorable reading experiences period.

That probably sounds worst than it should, I didn't hate my time with the book I was just mildly bored, the writing wasn't bad but I didn't feel engaged or invested in anything happening. In his foreword to Mary, Nat Cassidy credits and makes a point in noting the strong mark King's titular figure left on him - up to the point where he, as a young boy, elevated her to a kind of matron saint due to her suffering, after seeing and being left shocked and awed by the sight of a bloodied, iconic Sissy Spacek playing Carrie White in the 1976 movie. Teaming up with Eleanor, a local teen fascinated by true crime podcasts, she uncovers ties between her ghosts and the serial killer Damon Cross.

In Arroyo, not only does she tackle her aunt who does nothing but tantalize her instead of helping but also a desert town full of religious freaks and a mysterious history involving a serial killer. He has won the New York Innovative Theatre Award for Outstanding Solo Performance for a one-man show about H. Well, for once, I realized that although I don't yet face the same crises Mary has to weather in her life, I am surrounded by many Mary's - women who are forgotten, overlooked, ignored, belittled as they get older.

Mary feels 'unhinged' from start to finish, which is meant as a compliment because I appreciate when a story is intentionally straying away from common tropes and formulaic arcs. As a playwright, Nat is known as "one of New York City's rising playwrights, with numerous productions and awards, critical acclaim, and a reputation for producing intelligent, bold, darkly comic plays with one foot in horror and the other in literary allusion" (Usher Nonsense). I found out we have multiple mutual theatre friends, and that he’s a pretty prolific playwright in his own right.

TWs for quite a number of super disturbing topics you might wanna look into but I have to mention that there’s a pretty graphic animal violence scene.I think there was some interesting parts of it (the linkage between Greek mythology and all of that) but it gets buried in this book. Our main character Mary Mudgett is a middle aged woman who feels invisible, who is experiencing perimenopause, and who is pretty alone in the world. Why do certain books grab my attention right away and keep me loyally in their hold until their endings? Also, major props to him for addressing his choice to give a middle aged woman a voice when he himself is a younger cishet man, and how he tried his best to be authentic in her voice and experiences. I had my eye on it for awhile, as it touts being in similar veins as “Carrie” and “Midsommar”, which catch my eye for varying reasons.

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