I picked up this book after my mum recommended it and so I knew it would be good because she has great taste. She said that as the book got going she felt she knew what the story was going to be and guess what the twist but then, when it came, it completely surprised her. And I have to agree with my mum’s summary! I too felt secure that I could guess what was going to happen, only to have the rug completely pulled out from under me. This feeling of unsettled uncertainty hangs over the rest of the and even by page 300 of 324, I still couldn’t guess how it was going to end. To describe it as a thriller is an understatement – this book will have you on the edge of your seat.
The woman said she felt Marisa was just the right person to move into the house. Marisa smiled.
‘These things can be so…’ Marisa searched for the right word. ‘Instinctive, I guess?’
‘Instinctive,’ the woman nodded. ‘Exactly.’
It was when the woman opened the glass doors into the garden, folding them back on themselves like origami, that the bird flew in. It swooped low and fast so that neither of them had a chance to stop it.
Magpie
The novel opens with Marisa looking round a house for her and Jake to move into. The house is a quiet place almost sanctuary-like (apart from the appearance of the magpie), which Marisa finds appealing after the tough life she has had before meeting Jake.
However, when one of Jake’s business deals goes sour and he begins to worry about money, it is suggested that they find a lodger to help with the bills. Kate moves in and before long Marisa starts to pick up on things she finds odd about her. From the way she dresses, to where she leaves her running shoes in the hallway and her toothbrush in the main bathroom as opposed to her own little one, it all seems to familiar. When Marisa and Jake decide to start trying for a baby, Marisa finds Kate too over-enthusiastic for them, as if she is trying to place herself between the couple. The sense of unease becomes stronger and stronger as Marisa thinks she starts to notice little moments passing between Jake and Kate when they think she’s not looking.
Kate is cooking dinner. She has ‘insisted’ and said it is ‘the least I can do’ and ‘you’ve been so generous’ and would Marisa please just let Kate show her appreciation? This last line is delivered with a laugh that requires a lot of comic pouting and a playful, semi-sarcastic tone that grates. She barely knows me, Marisa fumes. Jake is delighted, especially when Kate says she’s cooking macaroni cheese, ‘which I know is your favourite.’
Magpie
The book beautifully explores motherhood and the strength of maternal instincts. It looks at the physical and emotional tolls of struggling to conceive and going through IVF, and the impact not being able to get pregnant can have on someone, their relationship, and how they want to interact with society. It also so sensitively looks at mental health and the long-lasting effects of rape. It is all so beautifully put together and threaded throughout a very absorbing story.
It’s also a such good thriller with twists and turns aplenty! Elizabeth Day is a wonderful writer and her characters are so vivid: from Marisa, the artist using a paintbrush to hold up her hair, to Jake religiously doing his fitness workouts in the garden, and Kate with her intensity, they are all so interesting to read. One of the other characters is described as growing “fattened like a maggot by all the compliments” which I thought was such a good line. That refers to Jake’s mother, Annabelle, who is a force of nature within the novel and has to be read for her rudeness to be believed.
I could not read Magpie fast enough to get the words off the page and into my brain to find out what was going to happen next. Definitely enjoyed best with a strong G&T.
Luggage & Scribble 