Being primarily a nonfiction reader, I wasn't sure The White Mary would pass muster. What I found out is that this book is extremely hard to pin down to one genre. It's a work of fiction, yes, but the author's own voice and experiences shine through just enough to make one wonder how much is autobiographical.
The main character, Marika, sets out on a journey to find her presumed dead hero. Travel and adventure are a large part of this book. We're taken to places as disparate as Africa and Missouri, Boston and Papua New Guinea
There are elements of suspense, psychological and physical, as perspective shifts to Marika's past, her relationships and her work as a wartime journalist. Back in the present, she is barefoot in Papua New Guinea not sure she can bare to take another step towards who (or is it what) she is searching for.
There is romance as well. Nothing sappy, but a growing relationship with a psychologist, Seb, that is as hard for Marika to traverse as some of the assignments she's taken in remote war zones. At times he can be too understanding, too needy. Almost at once he seems to forget that he has gotten involved with an adventuresome woman.
Were I a bookstore employee I would have a hard time figuring out where to shelve The White Mary. And that's a very good thing. There is no formulaic plot here, no tired genre cliches. What there is, is an easy flow back and forth through a woman's life and passions - journalism, danger, her literary hero.
The main character, Marika, sets out on a journey to find her presumed dead hero. Travel and adventure are a large part of this book. We're taken to places as disparate as Africa and Missouri, Boston and Papua New Guinea
There are elements of suspense, psychological and physical, as perspective shifts to Marika's past, her relationships and her work as a wartime journalist. Back in the present, she is barefoot in Papua New Guinea not sure she can bare to take another step towards who (or is it what) she is searching for.
There is romance as well. Nothing sappy, but a growing relationship with a psychologist, Seb, that is as hard for Marika to traverse as some of the assignments she's taken in remote war zones. At times he can be too understanding, too needy. Almost at once he seems to forget that he has gotten involved with an adventuresome woman.
Were I a bookstore employee I would have a hard time figuring out where to shelve The White Mary. And that's a very good thing. There is no formulaic plot here, no tired genre cliches. What there is, is an easy flow back and forth through a woman's life and passions - journalism, danger, her literary hero.
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