Mary

An Awakening of Terror

By: Nat Cassidy

Narrated by: Susan Bennett

Length: 15 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's Summary

Nat Cassidy’s highly commercial debut horror novel, Mary, blends Midsommar with elements of American Psycho and a pinch of I'll Be Gone in the Dark.

Mary is a quiet middle-aged woman doing her best to blend into the background. Unremarkable. Invisible. Unknown even to herself.

But lately, things have been changing inside Mary. Along with the hot flashes and body aches, she can’t look in a mirror without passing out, and the voices in her head have been urging her to do unspeakable things.

Fired from her job in New York, she moves back to her hometown hoping to reconnect with her past and inner self. What she finds instead are visions of terrifying mutilated specters that come with increasing regularity; she begins auto-writing strange thoughts and phrases, and her investigations reveal that these experiences are echoes of an infamous serial killer.

Then the killings begin again.

Mary’s definitely going to find herself.

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Nightfire.

©2022 Nat Cassidy (P)2022 Macmillan Audio

Stunning!

I am absolutely stunned that a man wrote this book. It's so relatable with the frustration of what it's like to be a middle aged woman. On top of that it's a wonderful tale, so creative and unique. I enjoyed every second of it. Let's not forget the voice actor! She perfectly encompassed the tones, the voices. I can think of better voice for Mary. Thank you for this beautiful story.

Marvelous scares in Mary!

Gross, frightening, funny, vivid and a hell of a fun read! Nat Cassidy takes us on a twisted journey that delivers on surprises and heart. This is a horror love letter to middle aged women and anyone who has felt disempowered by the patriarchy. If you are wondering whether it’s worth your Audible credit, the answer is yes. I also bought the paperback because it’s that good!

This book casts a spell...

Good enough to make you miss deadlines (because you can't put it down.) Superb narration.

LOVED IT

Susan Bennett’s voice sent the experience over the top. Her voice embodies the slicing sharpness of Mary’s inner monologue that makes the story hard to pull away from. As the reader I could feel Mary’s fury as the story moved along. I could feel the anger and the hatred towards those who made her feel crazy. From start to finish I was Mary - I knew her and I felt her pain and I was there in that dirty house with her. I loved every minute.

WTF did I just read?

This is one of those books that, when you finish, you need to take a beat before you start anything else.

Whether you are a fan of the horror genre or not, I recommend this book for all "women of a certain age." It's long. It sags in the middle. (Don't we all?) There's some weird stuff in there. BUT. Cassidy did an unbelievably good job of capturing the experiences of an invisible woman who has outlived her "usefulness."

I was thrilled when I saw Susan Bennett was the narrator for this. I enjoyed her reading way more than I enjoyed Charlaine Harris's writing in the Midnight, Texas series. She does a great job of bringing characters to life and pacing in a way that keeps you going for one more chapter and one more chapter and... So the sag in the middle wasn't really a problem.

Back to Nat Cassidy - He spent the last chapter discussing the fact that he wrote this book despite being a man, and was inspired to do so by the story of another man. When it's done this well, you get a pass. What I want to discuss is the use of "schizophrenia." Early in the book, it sounded like the prodromal phase. I remember well what that was like. The knowledge that something was wrong, the fear of discussing it with a doctor, and being ignored by doctors when you try. He uses the word "schizophrenia" at least twice that I recall in the book. AND HE GOT THAT RIGHT, TOO! So many horror authors get it wrong, and people with my illness get painted as all sorts of things that we are not.

Nat Cassidy is a decent, kind, considerate, thoughtful, and terrifying writer. I'm really looking forward to Nestlings now, and not just because it was recommended by my favorite author.

I'm just sorry it took me this long to get around to reading Mary.

Outstanding Narration

This is a super fun, slightly gory, horror ride, but Susan Bennett’s narration is just phenomenal. I’d listen to anything she does (and I do, every day—she’s the voice of Siri)!

Narrator was awesome. Story was gripping.

The narrator was amazing. Loved her voice and emotion. The story was gripping and should resonate with all women.

Perfectly scary!

This book scares me. It perfectly explains how menopause feels minus the murder! The whole feeling of feeling invisible and not heard by doctors and other health care workers.

An excellent debut that keeps surprising

An excellent debut horror novel that keeps surprising. Written lean as a short story but it’s a compelling full length. Deliciously read by Bennett. Every time I thought I knew what kind of story it would be, it would twist, but in a way that felt grounded and meticulously mapped out.

Narration on Point!!

The narration was insanely good. I loved this book and the story was a crazy ride. I could easily imagine this as a tv show. Scary good.