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A review by callum_mclaughlin
Miss Marley: The Untold Story of Jacob Marley's Sister by Vanessa Lafaye
4.0
Jacob Marley plays a key role in Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. The chain-clad ghost – once Scrooge’s business partner – is doomed to wander the Earth, lamenting the shame of a life fuelled by greed. In this prequel, Vanessa Lafaye explores the events that led Marley to this tragic state, told from the perspective of his sister, Clara.
The Dickensian setting is evoked well, with the handling of previously established characters in keeping with what readers experienced in A Christmas Carol. By framing this particular story through the eyes of a new character, however, Lafaye is able to pay homage to the original text without ‘trespassing’ – which she explained was her fear in the author’s note.
Important themes from the original are built upon, including the trappings of poverty, the struggle to transcend class, and the battle between fate and freewill. Clara’s viewpoint allows for commentary on female agency at the time, and there’s a real poignancy to watching Marley do all the wrong things for all the right reasons; hardening his heart in order to protect his beloved sister, blind to the harm he himself is causing her.
The best kind of tie-in novel, Miss Marley successfully toes the line between reverence for its predecessor, and innovation within the context of an iconic story’s existing lore.
The Dickensian setting is evoked well, with the handling of previously established characters in keeping with what readers experienced in A Christmas Carol. By framing this particular story through the eyes of a new character, however, Lafaye is able to pay homage to the original text without ‘trespassing’ – which she explained was her fear in the author’s note.
Important themes from the original are built upon, including the trappings of poverty, the struggle to transcend class, and the battle between fate and freewill. Clara’s viewpoint allows for commentary on female agency at the time, and there’s a real poignancy to watching Marley do all the wrong things for all the right reasons; hardening his heart in order to protect his beloved sister, blind to the harm he himself is causing her.
The best kind of tie-in novel, Miss Marley successfully toes the line between reverence for its predecessor, and innovation within the context of an iconic story’s existing lore.