Mary: An Awakening of Terror

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G." (TBS), "The Iliza Shlesinger Sketch Show" (Netflix), as well as on stages Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway, and across the country. FYI, this book has a very long trigger warning, and I suggest that you read it and decide if you want to read this book or skip it. After reading the mention of Azazel, I was hoping we’d see some cool theological horror a la Hereditary, but alas, that was just me getting my hopes up.

I’m a little reluctant to give a concrete number as to the amount of ARCs I got at ALA Annual in June, as the number is staggering and a little out of control. But being back home brings something ugly and angry back to life in Mary, and she slowly starts to try to investigate the town's history and her connection to a serial killer who was shot dead by the police almost 50 years ago. He has won the New York Innovative Theatre Award for Outstanding Solo Performance for a one-man show about H. I also thought that a lot of the aspects he explored in this book in terms of plots, from reincarnation to small town secrets to body horror were all very well done, and came together in unique ways that really got his story across. All this background will mix and build up into a progressively intense and hellish fever dream, resulting in a glorious climax in which Mary gains very unexpected allies and starts drawing strength and confidence in herself!Also, major props to him for addressing his choice to give a middle aged woman a voice when he himself is a younger cishet man, and how he tried his best to be authentic in her voice and experiences.

Mary doesn't have a lot of memories after her parents died in a fire, but she knows she was bullied and unhappy.It's about taking up space, and the power each of us has to influence the world around us whether we see it or not.

There's so much heavy content it really takes its toll on me enough to the point where I feel like I need a nap after reading it. Mary feels 'unhinged' from start to finish, which is meant as a compliment because I appreciate when a story is intentionally straying away from common tropes and formulaic arcs. I found out we have multiple mutual theatre friends, and that he’s a pretty prolific playwright in his own right. 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. It was a wild ride from start to finish, with some of the most vivid characters I’d read in a long time.The cover and the description really sucked me in, and will likely do the same to other women of a certain age (yes that is me!