Author: Carly M. Duncan
Date of Publication: May 10, 2013
Formats Available: Paperback, E-Book
Buy This Book: Amazon
Synopsis: When Kate's mother, Marcie, dies mysteriously she is forever tormented by the many questions surrounding her mother's death. In Marcie's absence Kate clings to her mother's husbands, searching for solace.
As family secrets are revealed Kate works to build her own life and family, but the mystery of her mother's death sidetracks her until she finally gets the answer she's always hoped for.
My Review:
I'm not usually one for realistic fiction but I ended up liking Marcie more than I thought I would. A short story about death, family and relationships Duncan was able to pull off the incredible feat of making a short story have meaning and depth. More often than not shorter novels and short stories have shallow characters and a weak plot just because there isn't enough time to really develop any strong ideas, however in Marcie Duncan is able to create both strong characters and a strong story despite the shorter length.
Initially the switching between past and present threw me off a little but once I got used to the format it ended up working very well for the story. Kate struggles to understand how she felt about her mother as she switches between her young adult self, who hated her mother, and her older self, who is distressed by her mother's passing. It was interesting to see how Kate's perspective changed as she grew older and learned more about her mother as well as how the interactions between her and the rest of her family changed after her mother passed.
One of the things I really enjoyed was how this book was more like a short story than a novel. I feel like if it had been longer it may have made the story drag and loose some of its meaning. The shorter length allowed Duncan to pack more of a punch into a short amount of time and keep the story moving even though the book centered around only one event. With a great wrap up that left me with a number of questions I finished this novel wanting to find out what happened next and wondering what the real story behind Marcie's death really was.
Although the writing starts off a little rough and choppy Duncan quickly hits her stride and the writing improves a lot throughout the course of the novel. The story does move a little fast at times, skimming over years of Kate's life, then going into intense details for small portions of it. However, it doesn't take away from the story and overall Marcie turned out to be a strongly written story even though it didn't seem like it at first.
Marcie is perfect for those looking for a short story about family. Not overly long or involved the story is deep enough to make a connection to but not so long that the reader feels bogged down by the story. Marcie is a great short story and Duncan has a lot of potential. I can't wait to see what she does next!
3/5
*I received a copy of this novel from the author/publisher/publicist in exchange for a free and honest review.
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