Mrs March - Virginia Feito

 

Description

Shirley Jackson meets Ottessa Moshfegh meets My Sister the Serial Killer in a brilliantly unsettling and darkly funny debut novel full of suspense and paranoia

George March’s latest novel is a smash hit. None could be prouder than Mrs. March, his dutiful wife, who revels in his accolades and relishes the lifestyle and status his success brings.

A creature of routine and decorum, Mrs. March lives an exquisitely controlled existence on the Upper East Side. Every morning begins the same way, with a visit to her favourite patisserie to buy a loaf of
olive bread, but her latest trip proves to be her last when she suffers an indignity from which she may never recover: an assumption by the shopkeeper that the protagonist in George March’s new book –
a pathetic sex worker, more a figure of derision than desire – is based on Mrs. March.

One casual remark robs Mrs. March not only of her beloved olive bread but of the belief that she knew everything about her husband – and herself – sending her on an increasingly paranoid journey, one
that starts within the pages of a book but may very well uncover both a killer and the long-buried secrets of Mrs. March’s past.

A razor-sharp exploration of the fragility of identity and the smothering weight of expectations, Mrs. March heralds the arrival of a wicked and wonderful new voice.

Review

I didn't find this book as funny as My Sister the Serial Killer as referenced by the publisher. For me it was a very long drawn out book, which I found distressing and depressing in the main.

I was drawn into this book by the mention of New York and Mrs March living on the Upper East side. What I didn't expect was her life to be more like the 1950s than I suppose 2020's. There is a mention of a microwave otherwise I'm not sure I would have known it wasn't the 1950s. 

Mrs March (and she is called that all through the book - even when she is a child) is very hung up on social etiquette. Doing, saying, living the right way, it was just exhausting to read about it. There is a glimmer of humour in all of this until you realise that she has serious mental health issues.

I only kept reading as there was an allusion to uncovering a murderer, and I thought maybe I had the wrong end of the stick so to speak. This part of the book did grip me more than the beginning, but if you want a light hearted read, this won't be the book for you.

The writing in this book is undoubtedly very good and you can place yourself in the character of Mrs March very easily. Too easily in fact. I just became a little saddened by the whole tale.

I'm giving this book 4 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review.