Published by St. Martin's Press Genres: Fiction, Mystery, thriller
Format: ARC, eBook
Gripping, moving, thought provoking and shocking. Sally Hepworth has delivered yet again (when does she not?)! I had a hard time putting this book down as I was entranced by the twists, turns, and revelations. This book is told in then and now timelines which tell the story by peeling back one woman’s life from childhood to adulthood.
Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick, an 81-year-old woman who has been called ‘Mad Mabel’ for most of her life. She has lived on her street for a very long time and seems to know everyone’s businesses. She has been befriended by Persephone, a young girl in the neighborhood and they have a lovely friendship. When a neighbor dies and people begin to know her business, Elsie a.k.a. Mad Mabel beings to tell her story. It is a moving and heartbreaking story that had me feeling all kinds of emotions. It is a story of love, of neglect, of abuse, of cruelty, of gossip, of suspicion, of bullying, of survival, of nurturing by her aunt, and a story of loss.
As people begin to know more about elderly Elsie/Mabel, it becomes a story of acceptance, friendship, enlightenment, strength, and moving on. In some ways, 81-year-old Elsie/Mad Mabel reminded me of Olive Kitteridge in her frankness, her bluntness, and her grumpy exterior. But Elsie is also caring, witty, sarcastic, and brave. Will her actions speak louder than words people say about her?
I found myself feeling mad for her as a young girl and how she carried the heavy burden of being labeled ‘Mad’ by society. I was mad about how she was judged, bullied, and tormented. She was the child everyone looked at when things went awry, when people got hurt, or accidents happened. I felt for her loneliness, rejoiced as her aunt advocated for her, and sighed deeply when life threw her lemons. But was Elsie ‘mad’? Did societies actions make her ‘mad’, or was she an innocent child forced to bear something that was never hers to bear? This book had me pondering how the labels assigned to people affect them? Is it fair to judge someone for something we know little to nothing about?
As with her previous books, Mad Mabel is beautifully written, well thought out, moving, and thought provoking. Sally Hepworth is a must-read author for me and I look forward to reading more of her books in the future.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
