Abstract
Morris’s novel tells the story of Mary Fleet in her university years as she balances her studies with her burgeoning acting career. Mary is the daughter of an Anglican priest and – being familiar with biblical passages and figures because of her religious upbringing – she takes Mary of Magdala as a role model. As a university student, Mary is fast friends with her assigned flat mate Sophie and in her Modern Greek course, she meets and falls in love with classmate Osric. Through a university connection, Mary is cast in a commercial which leads to an audition for a small part in a film. The director, Nick, agrees to cast Mary if she sleeps with him which she does. Her part in the film leads to more auditions, and Mary becomes the target of a rival actress who is jealous of Mary’s success and sexual relationship with Nick. The rival eventually breaks into Mary’s friend’s flat (thinking Mary lives there) to stop her acting career, but Mary quickly recovers from the incident. After pursuing each other for months, Mary and Osric confess their feelings for each other. Mary’s star continues to rise in the film industry, and soon she is making enough money to take Osric to Thailand. When they return, Osric is hospitalized with a rare illness, but Mary cannot visit him due to an ongoing dispute with a social worker. Eventually when Osric recovers, he leaves Mary for his physiotherapist, but the two soon reunite. The novel ends with a prayer to Mary of Magdala asking for her protection as the lovers settle into their lives together.
Morris tells this story with short scenes that rely heavily on dialogue. This structure effectively conveys the strength of the character’s relationships, especially between Mary and Sophie. Their relationship, rather than Mary and Osric’s relationship, is the real cornerstone of this novel as it shows a healthy, supportive friendship between two women rather being portrayed as rivals.
Despite the interesting events that occur to Mary, she is at times passive and unaffected by what is happening in her life. For example, she never actively pursues acting roles as they seem to fall into her lap (based mostly on her beauty), and after the director Nick takes his life following mounting allegations of sexual misconduct from colleagues, Mary is largely unmoved. Mary also recites bible verses when she faces an obstacle, but otherwise the biblical themes are largely not incorporated into the story.
I would recommend this novel to university students or those about to begin university since Morris captures the excitement and promise of beginning studies through his characters. Mary and her friend’s frequent references to the Classics and theology should make this book popular among those interested in the ‘dark academia aesthetic’ that has popularized books about university life.