Review: Marrow

Marrow by Tarryn Fisher

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I have to stop fucking killing people.


I ended up pulling an all nighter in my desperation to finish this book, and sadly I am still barely functioning right now. I'm too old for that shit. But every time I tried to find an acceptable stopping point, something else happened that forced me to keep trucking along with Margo until the end.

I always find it incredibly hard to actually review one of Tarryn's books. I don't know that I feel eloquent enough to do her books justice. When I say eloquence, it isn't in the language of her books alone, but it's the feelings that emanate from her characters and her words. With Marrow it is the sense of utter frustration. Margo is fed up with her lot in life and in the Bone in general. After witnessing so many horrors, she just snaps and becomes a kind of vigilante serial killer seeking justice for the people who can't get it for themselves. It's a bit of a heartbreaking journey to watch, seeing a girl become so beaten down from her life that she breaks in such a way. It does, however, speak volumes for the ability of an author that you still root for such a character. You go along with her wholeheartedly as she stalks her prey. Those recesses of your mind that people don't like to believe are there celebrate what she is doing, seeking justice for those who are killed, raped or abused. Margo is her own justice system and a small part of you actually respects her for that. That is the ability that Tarryn has in her writing with her anti-heroines. It's an amazing thing and one of the reasons that I toss 5 star reviews on her books like freaking confetti. I may not like the subject matter, some of the characters or even the incredibly depressing ending, you feel it every step of the way.

I also want to mention all of the call backs to her previous books. Marrow obviously ties into Mud Vein in an incredibly strong way, but it isn't only that. It's the bright blue Docs, the blue nail polish, the carousel that goes round and round, the trip to Florida, the pink Zippo. It's like a love letter to the readers who have been with her every step of the way. For someone who has such a black soul, it's pretty freaking amazing to see how much she loves her characters and the readers who love them along with her.

(And she's pretty too, because really that is all that matters.)



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