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A review by valeriabee
The Mary Shelley Club by Goldy Moldavsky
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Genuinely was afraid. Mostly because it made me think of what my biggest fears are and how those fears impact my life. Also, Rachel, after having gone through a trauma, has high anxiety and I also suffer from anxiety so part of my fear was just... the anxiety I was feeling while I was reading.
In part, I had anxiety because I was seeing how complicated the whole situation is and how hard it is to know/figure out who is telling the truth. It is so hard to decide who in this book is trust worthy (especially because it's written in first person) and that made my anxiety sky rocket. I didn't like not knowing or being unsure of what I was (and Rachel was) dealing with.
Moldavsky does a wonderful job of setting up and revealing the villain, the monster. I think it's in the way that she really makes you doubt yourself. For a minute you think, Rachel is right, it's this person... but then you think no way it doesn't add up. Or obviously it has to be this other person, why don't they realize this... but then why would it be them? What motivates them? Moldavsky really drives home the idea that "the real monsters aren't the ones created by man. The real monster is man himself." Something that Mary Shelley has proven to us in her own work 200 years ago with Frankenstein. I mean, it speaks to the common misconception and mislabelling of Mary Shelley's monster. People often address the green 'monster' as Frankenstein, but really he is Frankenstein's monster. Frankenstein is the doctor. I don't say this to be pretentious, but to point out that the fact that Dr. Frankenstein is the real monster, but people don't want to believe that their peers are capable of monstrosities, so they reassign the role to the supernatural, to the least human. It's not wrong to say Frankenstein is the monster, it's only wrong if you're not referring to the Doctor. Shelley and Moldavsky's point is that people are scarier than any supernatural horror movie or book.
It's funny because I was telling my friends about this book earlier and when I told them a fun fact I learned about Mary Shelley from this book, it gave me another realization of how the revelation at the end redefines the scene. It was so crazy to me how perfectly set up the revelation is. When you get to it you might think "oh duh thats so obvious it makes the most sense," but I think that's only because Moldavsky sets it up so well without giving it away.
Reading this book also prompted me to ask my students (who are high school students) whether they think people their age are capable of empathy, rather, how much empathy they think their age group has the capacity for. Then, what kind of person they think of when they think of an empathetic person. Because books like these where the rich kids are such... assholes, really makes me wonder whether it has to do with age, upbringing, privilege, etc. Like what is interfering with their capacity to have empathy or to simply not be assholes. I was surprised by my students honest answers, but also by their lack in faith for the capacity towards empathy in their age group. (I think it definitely is partially a developmental thing, you learn as you grow older and experience more life -- but it is very nuanced).
In part, I had anxiety because I was seeing how complicated the whole situation is and how hard it is to know/figure out who is telling the truth. It is so hard to decide who in this book is trust worthy (especially because it's written in first person) and that made my anxiety sky rocket. I didn't like not knowing or being unsure of what I was (and Rachel was) dealing with.
Moldavsky does a wonderful job of setting up and revealing the villain, the monster. I think it's in the way that she really makes you doubt yourself. For a minute you think, Rachel is right, it's this person... but then you think no way it doesn't add up. Or obviously it has to be this other person, why don't they realize this... but then why would it be them? What motivates them? Moldavsky really drives home the idea that "the real monsters aren't the ones created by man. The real monster is man himself." Something that Mary Shelley has proven to us in her own work 200 years ago with Frankenstein. I mean, it speaks to the common misconception and mislabelling of Mary Shelley's monster. People often address the green 'monster' as Frankenstein, but really he is Frankenstein's monster. Frankenstein is the doctor. I don't say this to be pretentious, but to point out that the fact that Dr. Frankenstein is the real monster, but people don't want to believe that their peers are capable of monstrosities, so they reassign the role to the supernatural, to the least human. It's not wrong to say Frankenstein is the monster, it's only wrong if you're not referring to the Doctor. Shelley and Moldavsky's point is that people are scarier than any supernatural horror movie or book.
It's funny because I was telling my friends about this book earlier and when I told them a fun fact I learned about Mary Shelley from this book, it gave me another realization of how the revelation at the end redefines the scene. It was so crazy to me how perfectly set up the revelation is. When you get to it you might think "oh duh thats so obvious it makes the most sense," but I think that's only because Moldavsky sets it up so well without giving it away.
Reading this book also prompted me to ask my students (who are high school students) whether they think people their age are capable of empathy, rather, how much empathy they think their age group has the capacity for. Then, what kind of person they think of when they think of an empathetic person. Because books like these where the rich kids are such... assholes, really makes me wonder whether it has to do with age, upbringing, privilege, etc. Like what is interfering with their capacity to have empathy or to simply not be assholes. I was surprised by my students honest answers, but also by their lack in faith for the capacity towards empathy in their age group. (I think it definitely is partially a developmental thing, you learn as you grow older and experience more life -- but it is very nuanced).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, and Murder
Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, and Violence