Hi, I’m Kerrie Kohler, and I work as a clerk at the Valdez-Perry Branch Library. We’re located at the corner of Vine Street and East 47th Avenue in the Elyria neighborhood.
Come check out our Kids Club and adult crafting programs featured on our monthly calendar. The adult program runs from 10:30-11:30 a.m. on the second Wednesday of the month. We host Kids Club every Tuesday and Thursday from 4:30-5:30 p.m.
“Mary: An Awakening of Terror” by Nat Cassidy
Mary Mudgett is an often-overlooked, middle-aged woman experiencing changes that make her feel like she’s losing it. Symptoms, including hot flashes, hearing voices and seeing terrifying hallucinations, cause her to be unable to look at mirrors. Mary begrudgingly goes to her doctor, who brushes off her concerns as simply perimenopausal. Already expecting this sort of dismissal, she’s rightfully frustrated and knows that what’s happening to her is far from normal.
On top of everything, Mary gets fired from her bookshop job and finds herself in a financial crisis.
Shortly after all of this turmoil, Mary receives a message from her sick aunt Nadine urging her to come back to her hometown to be her paid caretaker. This seems like the perfect solution to Mary’s financial problems, though from the sounds of the message, the two are estranged.
Aunt Nadine is an eccentric, vulgar and cruel woman who has a beloved little dog named Chipotle. Her home also happens to be the site where an infamous serial killer was gunned down 49 years prior.
Seeing no other option, Mary decides to make the move from New York to Arizona. Upon Mary’s arrival, it’s clear that there is a weird, secretive, cult-like vibe to the townsfolk. The more time she spends in her hometown, the worse her symptoms get, and pieces of her past start to unravel. Mary seems to be haunted not only by her past, but perhaps also by a supernatural link to the infamous serial killer.
This book is wildly unhinged from start to end, but in the best way possible! It is such a uniquely mesmerizing story that cleverly blends horror and comedy. Nat Cassidy is a skilled storyteller, completely immersing the reader with intensely graphic imagery and bringing vibrant characters to life.
As awful as Aunt Nadine may sound, she is an iconic character in the book who contributes to many hilarious, comedic-relief moments.
This book embodies the struggles women face when aging in a society that tends to deem older women as less valuable. Often, middle-aged women feel invisible and dismissed. The book pushes hard on the importance of self-love and acceptance despite the double standards of aging. It’s surprisingly refreshing to see this point of view written out so beautifully by a man.
Excellent review Kerrie. I must buy it!