Paige Alexander is seventeen and has her whole life in front of her. One day her girlfriend comes home to discover that Paige has slit her wrists. Paige isn't insane, but she acts like she is. Why?
After the incident, Paige agrees to go to therapy to appease her girlfriend, Jess. However, Paige doesn't believe that therapy will help her. She believes she’s beyond help. Paige doesn't want to find herself and she doesn't want to relive her painful past in order to come to terms with it. What Paige wants is control over her life, which she hasn't had since her birth.
During her childhood, Paige is blamed for a family tragedy, when in fact, her twin sister, Abbie was responsible. Abbie doesn't come forward and Paige becomes the pariah of the family.
To add to Paige’s woes, while attending a college in a small town in Colorado, the residents are in the midst of debating whether or not gays and lesbians should have equal rights. Tension is high and there’s a threat of violence. She isn't out of the closet and pretends to be straight at school since she fears what will happen if her parents find out she’s a lesbian. Will she end up dead like her best friend, Alex?
My review:
Paige Alexander is heading off to college and in love with her incredible girlfriend Jess. But then she slits her wrists. As a promise to Jess, Paige agrees to see a therapist while going to school. No one truly knows her and she likes it that way. Yet she never breaks her word. Some promises are easier to keep than others.
MARIONETTE is honest and original. There are a lot of stories out there of teen angst, but many are written with rose-tinted glasses. Not this one. The reader is taken on a real and emotional journey with suicide, abuse, and gay issues. Nothing is held back nor is it overly done. The fact that there's no pretense won me over and sucked me into the story.
Each character was crafted wonderfully, layer upon layer to their personalities. These are people all of us could know. No stereotypes or flat cardboard players. I liked just when you thought you had someone figured out, another layer was revealed. Nothing happened fast. It was a slow unveiling and suitable to the damaged soul Paige is.
It took me a little bit to get into it, but once I did, I was hooked. It's not fast-paced nor does the mystery keep waving right in your face. You find out something new, get comfortable with it, and then there's the next twist. I thought I knew where it might end, but I was surprised where the tale took me. It's not often a book can surprise me anymore.
T. B. Markinson is a 39-year old American writer, living in England, who pledged she would publish before she was 35. Better late than never. When she isn’t writing, she’s traveling around the world, watching sports on the telly, visiting pubs in England, or taking the dog for a walk. Not necessarily in that order. Marionette is her second novel. A Woman Lost was her debut novel.
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With the success of Creepy Freebies in October,
Milo James Fowler is hosting 'Tis More Blessed this December!
Click on the generous folks on the list below giving stuff away today!
FREE stories and raffles.
'Tis the season for giving.
Today is the one year anniversary of the 13th Floor series!
Last year on December 13th, I released 1301 - THE MARQUIS.
It remains one of the most popular stories in the series, and you can read it for FREE!
Get yourself hooked.
In celebration of its anniversary, I'm giving away one signed copy of The 13th Floor Complete Collection (US only) and a digital copy (open internationally).
