In the seventh chapter of Deep Secret, MAREE MALLORY. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to read Deep Secret.
Chapter Seven
I love practically everything about this chapter and what it chooses to be.
- First of all, I genuinely enjoy when books contain multiple points of view, and I especially love seeing the same scene from another perspective. This chapter does both things brilliantly.
- I already liked Maree Mallory prior to this, but now I love her EVEN MORE. It’s fascinating, of course, to learn that she has no clue about the Magids or parallel worlds, though she makes all these unintentional references to other dimensions throughout her diary. Oh my god, how does she fit in with all of this?
- I’m also drawn to her because she’s not inherently likable. I think people might find her kind of irritating, but I love the way she clings to cynicism and anger. And it’s not there just for the sake of it! She’s angry and bitter about things that have happened to her and those she cares about, you know? Her father is fighting cancer, her boyfriend treated her terribly, and she lost her PRE-PAID FLAT after her ex moved in his new girlfriend instead of her. Oh, Robbie, you suck.
- So she’s “gloomy,” as Nick refers to her. She’s full of sass, with, and clever retorts, but it’s clear that she’s got complicated reasons for behaving the way she does. It’s nice, then, that she’s got a friend in Nick, her younger nephew, who is a beautiful weirdo in his own right. Their relationship is complicated; Maree knows that Nick “has a low opinion of women,” and I’m certain she could see Nick becoming much worse than he is if she didn’t awe him. He’s used to manipulating the people around him to get what he wants, but Maree is so far the only person who’s able to control him.
- He also has created an intense role-playing game around a parallel world, which is amazing, and I hope he keeps up with that instead of getting involved with My Little Pony and ruining that for a bunch of little girls.
- (I’m so bitter about bronies ruining that show for me CAN YOU TELL.)
- (No, seriously, Nick is like one trilby hat away from being a men’s rights activist, isn’t he?)
- I am here for everything that Maree says about Uncle Ted’s fantasy writing. IT’S SO AWESOME. Now I’m curious to know if DWJ was referring to someone she knew. And it really fits in with the greater narrative of this book, doesn’t it? If a Magid is meant to subtly influence a world Ayewards, then wouldn’t Ted be preventing that in his own life? He dabbles in the fantastic and the whimsical, but his only joy seems to be in the monetary aspect that comes after writing. Of course, he might be helping the world move Ayewards anyway if his work inspires other people.
- Okay, I am making a prediction: I think we’ll find out that Bristolia is a real place. What if Nick’s imagination made it real?
- “That’s the trouble with being adopted and not knowing your real parents. They have little bits of ancestry you don’t know about, and aren’t prepared for, and they come up and hit you. You don’t know what to expect.” TRUER WORDS WERE NOT WRITTEN IN THIS BOOK, I SWEAR.
- Anyway, it’s right at the start of the fourth part where Jones brings Rupert into the story and we finally get to see what lead Maree and Nick to get out of their car and dance on that suspension bridge. We also find out why Janine was so angry with Rupert when he came to see if Maree was home: she fought with Maree about Maree’s newly acquired driver’s license. Oh god, people who fight with kindness as if it masks how rude they are: NO FUN AT ALL.
- Nick taking Maree on a tour of Bristolia: ACTUALLY LOTS OF FUN.
- So, Maree knew she was being followed, but didn’t ever know why. She has no clue about any of the real reasons for these strange events, either. By every standard, she’s a fairly normal person, at least when compared with what we’ve seen from all the beings who know about the multiverse. Even her dance on that bridge with Nick had nothing to do with magic or with Rupert himself. It was just a silly dance that Nick and Maree did with each other when they were children.
- However, I’m most interested in the repetitive dream that Maree’s been having. Look, this is a book about multiverses, and there are no coincidences. I think Thornlady – the name Maree gave for the witch in her recurring dream – is real. But why? Why is she visiting Maree in her dreams? Why is she so discouraging and sexist? Who is she?
Please note that the original text contains uses of the word “mad.”
Part 1
Part 2
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