Number 62- Mary and the Rabbit Dream- Noemi Kiss-Deaki

From that handsome black cover, we're in Galley Beggar Press territory again. This is a debut novel by a genuinely exciting new writer.

Based on a remarkable true story about an a woman in the 18th century who became briefly famous for allegedly giving birth to rabbits, this is a historical novel with a lot to say for itself.

Mary Toft is a peasant woman on the lowest rungs of society. She is terrified of her mother-in-law Ann Toft to the extent that when Ann decides on a bizarre scheme to make her famous and make money, she goes along with it.

The scheme is to convince people that she is giving birth to rabbits. They soon have a local doctor on board who writes to all the leading physicians of the day, and that's when poor Mary's problems multiply.

This is one of those books where for whole segments I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The abuse Mary undergoes is not described in detail, but just enough to make me feel genuinely sorry for her, while the ignorance the supposed genius doctors are showing about the female body is laughable. It would be nice to think that modern science is better informed on the subject and that men are not still dictating the narrative, but, whilst we can definitively say that women do not give birth to sliced up rabbits, the treatment of women in medicine may not have improved all that much.

The other main theme that shines through is the difference between rich and poor. The absolute chasm that exists between the lives of the different groups is hammered home forcefully. 

 

This is a fascinating slice of history old in a very modern way.  Kiss-Deaki's style of writing is the best thing about an extremely good book.  

She uses repetition.

She uses repetition a lot.

She uses repetition but changes or expands on the previous sentence. 

She uses repetition in a way that works brilliantly and drives the reader through the story at breakneck pace. It shouldn't work, but it really does. 

I can find no flaws in this book. It's an incredibly quick and easy read but one that deals with hugely important topics in an accessible and enjoyable way.  Even though it's not subtle about the messaging, it doesn't feel like a lecture. In the afterword she talks about any minor historical inaccuracies and the reasons for them, so even if I'd spotted them, I wouldn't have brought them up.

I cannot recommend this book enough.