
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Marionette is a book about a very difficult subject and it is told with the utmost sensitivity and understanding. T B Markinson does an amazing job of drawing the reader into Paige Alexander’s world of self-loathing, suicide and lesbian love. Paige is a teenage girl about to commence college life as a fresher but who is also under-going counselling. On the face of things she appears to hate or belittle her own family and the new students with whom she must share her accommodation. Although the above list of ingredients for this novel would normally make this reader shy away from it, plus the fact it is taking place in an American college where terms and language are unfamiliar to me, I was intrigued and hooked from page four!
The tale of Paige’s gradual transformation into a caring young woman with a rewarding future and happy relationships through friends and Jess, her girlfriend, is told in such a non-judgemental way by the author that I grew to care about her more and more. We are not subjected to torrid descriptions of sexual behaviour between gay (or straight) couples, as you may typically expect, but the closeness between Paige and Jess is made very apparent in such a skilful way by T B Markinson that I hoped throughout the story that the pair would stay together.
It is evident that Paige is not seeking the reader’s sympathy or pity but does want to find a way out of her tangled and tragic past life. There are humorous moments injected from time to time and the story builds to a satisfying conclusion, though I felt it was a little rushed near the end in clearing up some loose ends. I would have liked to have known a lot more about her sister, Abbie, for example.
Marionette is a very well-written book that I can heartily recommend to anyone who seeks a tale of relationships between family and friends, where serious difficulties are treated with respect and humility. It is gratifying to find a young author, like T B Markinson, who is able to teach this (very) mature male reader something more about life that would not normally be considered, and written in such a thought provoking fashion. Well done, T B.
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