Mary: An Awakening of Terror

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HONESTLY the idea of this small town, conspiratorial, anti government cult putting this serial killer man on a pedestal is something I can see happening. It was a wild ride from start to finish, with some of the most vivid characters I’d read in a long time.

There are some doctor scenes in this book in which Mary’s problems get repeatedly dismissed as menopause and these scenes are especially significant, many women of any age will recognize this kind of dismissal of symptoms as either period or eating problems. I really didn’t like the author's writing style and his characterizing, it just felt very one dimensional (especially the main character). I didn't lose interest but I did find myself wanting to read faster or skim unnecessary details a few times. This book goes out to all those bad seeds who have gone beyond their bloom and entered the twilight of their murderous lives. It is very commendable that Cassidy highlights this bias to show that what’s going on here is that Mary, as an aging woman who wants nothing more than to be noticed, to be taken seriously, is not being given any worth.Also, he clearly has a lot of love for “Carrie”, as in his author’s note he explains that Mary is a reimagining of a woman like Carrie who does make it past the night of Prom, and what that would look like. Genuinely scary, and at times both heartfelt and heartbreaking, Mary is a powerhouse of a horror novel, with something important to say. Overall, I really liked the voice that Nat Cassidy gave Mary Mudgett, and I liked some of the creative and scary aspects of the novel as well.

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. Then it sort of peters out and turns into a draggy slow paced festival of weirdness that is too out there even for me.He has won the New York Innovative Theatre Award for Outstanding Solo Performance for a one-man show about H. Fired from her job in New York, she moves back to her hometown, hoping to reconnect with her past and inner self. Not because its about a woman going through peri-menopause, but because of its insight in to the female condition.