MAD MABEL

by Sally Hepworth

As a novel, Mad Mabel satisfies in a completely original way.  Told from Mabel’s 81-year-old perspective, the readers come to realize that her outward-facing cantankerous demeanor covers an inner self full of love for the people around her.  First, we meet her best friend, Daphne, who’s been a friend since childhood. Then there’s Persephone, the seven-year-old daughter of a single mother, who decides she likes to shadow Mabel. Add in several memorable neighbors and an annoying dog, and Hepworth has her cast of characters. But, as the book begins, we also learn that some of her neighbors actively avoid Mabel.  

The author flashes back to when Mabel was six years old and paints a painful picture of Mabel’s emotionally stifling upbringing, including a mother who threw herself out a window and a father who left her to be raised by an aunt.  Mabel’s childhood officially ended when she was convicted of murder and incarcerated in prison.

But 81-year-old Mabel has created a whole new life for herself. She loves the little street where she lives, complete with eccentric neighbors and yapping dog. That is until someone finds out about her past.  As Mabel’s life is in danger of unspooling once again, Hepworth explores all the different kinds of love a woman of that age can feel: Her strong, enduring love for Daphne; the protective love that develops for young Persephone; her love of her neighbors.  It’s all there in Daphne’s big heart.  Hepworth writes a brilliant story, full of unexpected twists.  When you finish reading Mad Mabel, you’ll want to go back and read it again. (Liz)