Sally Hepworth’s MAD MABEL is a magnificent novel. Usually, after reading a story that is engrossing, has unexpected twists, and really packs a punch at the end, writing the review is easy. I like to say about a great novel, “The review practically writes itself.” So while I think this is a brilliant book and would be a fabulous book club read, the review is not writing itself. There are so many layers to Mabel's story that delicacy is required so as not to spoil the novel for those who haven’t read it.

On the first page, we are told that the two groups of people who are rarely suspected of murder are old ladies and young girls. We hear from the titular character that she likes to think she's special. She tells us about her current life and reminisces about her childhood. Mabel is quite intelligent, and her narration fully demonstrates that. She is also a curmudgeon, but methinks she overdoes this part. By the end of the book, we know that Mabel is really like a perfectly roasted marshmallow: crispy and crunchy on the outside, but pure soft sweetness inside. Mabel doesn't hide her sweetness; rather, it’s more like she isn't aware it exists.

"There are so many layers to Mabel's story that delicacy is required so as not to spoil the novel for those who haven’t read it.... This powerful novel, exhibiting the full gamut of human emotions, is a must read. Mabel is truly an unforgettable character."

In the first chapter, Mabel introduces her neighbors on the small, intimate street on which she resides, Kenny Lane. It's in a rather shabby part of Melbourne, and there are only six houses on the street. While Mabel is fond of one of her neighbors, Peter, she's at odds with all the others. She despises her next-door neighbor, Old Ishaan, whom she describes as her nemesis. So when she discovers that he has died, and she calls the authorities, problems arise.

Mabel doesn't watch her words. So when the police arrive, she tells them exactly how much she disliked Ishaan --- despised, actually --- and flippantly explaining that she never threatened to kill him because “[a]nyone who knows me knows that if I was going to kill him, I'd never forewarn him” probably would ensure her looking innocent. 

As we quickly learn, the gossip and innuendo that has swirled around Mabel her whole life would label her as anything but innocent. She is the youngest person in Australia ever convicted of murder. But what’s unclear at first is the identity of the victim. It becomes apparent as she recounts her horrendous childhood that there are so many choices. Because in spite of being born into a wealthy, comfortable mansion, her early years were a nightmare. 

In spite of all of that, Mabel believes that her story is a love story, which she tells us at the start of the novel. “It may not seem like it, what with all the blood and guts and murder, but nevertheless, that's what it is. And there is no greater love story than that of platonic female love. The kind of love I have with Daphne.” She explains that friends are like oxygen. And if we've had friends, we might not understand that. “If you'd always been surrounded by air, you wouldn't think to credit it for your very existence either. But I've spent much of my life gasping for breath, so I promise you, it's true. Friends are like oxygen.” And she says that the only reason she's alive is because of Daphne.

Mabel agrees to tell the story about her infamous childhood to two young podcasters. That's the vehicle through which we learn about the years when she had no friends and even her own parents shunned her. As the novel alternates between then and now, we grow to admire and respect Mabel.

What we come to realize is that, in spite of all the violence, brutality, deaths and blood, this is a love story about friends and friendship. But it's not the story that Mabel thinks it is. It's also about a child who was bullied, ostracized, and abused mentally and physically. It's about the harm that ugly rumors and cruel gossip inflict on the victims. And it’s incredibly lovely, touching as much as it’s heartbreaking. Because it is about love and how we don't really know what makes other people tick. In our society of superficial social media, those who, like Mabel, don't fit the perfect stereotype are excluded. But inside? People feel the same hurt, bleed the same blood, and suffer just as much as anyone else. 

This powerful novel, exhibiting the full gamut of human emotions, is a must read. Mabel is truly an unforgettable character.