Marble Heart

(Paperback)

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Description

A stunning piece of psychological suspense from the author of Araby. Two very different women brought together by a secret from the past. Joan has a tentative grip on the world -- she's too trusting, soft-centred, cheery and straightforward, the sort of woman who still keeps teddy bears on her bed. By nature and by profession, Joan is a carer, employed to look after Nina Rawle, a crisp and sophisticated woman, stricken by a long-term illness. There is a very good reason why Joan has been taken on by Nina (nursing skills aside) and Nina's tangled past in Northern Ireland, in which a single and fatal act of political passion played a destructive role, has a great deal to do with it. How and why Nina will reveal herself to Joan, whose part in Nina's past is truly significant, makes for a tense and twisting tale. This is a quite different novel from Araby. We have here a pure piece of storytelling, a psychological tale with more than a touch of Barbara Vine. The fantastic storytelling skills and exploration of character which made Araby such a gem are in abundance in this new novel.

Reviews

From the reviews of Araby: 'A beautifully observed study of reconciliation. Mulrooney's ability to make sense of the contradictions in clear, precise prose is the most remarkable achievement of the novel.' The Times 'Mulrooney has a real gift for dialogue, the words and phrases ring true and make her characters wonderfully real. A tenderly funny and genuinely moving piece. I loved it.' Time Out

Author Bio

Gretta Mulrooney was born in London in 1952. She took a degree in English at the University of Ulster and lived for a few years in Dublin, working as a hospital cleaner, a plastics riveter (fitting together Guinness signs) and teaching English, before returning to England to teach and take up social work. She has previously published short stories and childrens fiction.