Our Mother for the Time Being
Derek White
Marsupial is a fragmented novel about somebody out of place within the cathartic context of the making of a movie overseas.
Review:
Marsupial is a mix between a Fellini film and a Kafka novel. The tale twists and turns meshing fantasy and modernism, while the story telling constantly changes in format. We witness the plot through a series of screenplays, narratives, memoirs, dreams and some dictionary definitions, all with a hint of magical realism. I wanted to believe every word that White wrote, as if I was reading his autobiography. This is a very believable tale mixed with a splash of the weirdest and most memorable dialogue you will ever experience. After the first 100 pages, I tried to read only the scripts till the end of the book and it was really a beautiful odd experience. I think the book would totally work without the background story and additional text, just as a screenplay. Although, I loved the sequence of events and would not change a thing. I am not sure what White's process was when writing this novel, but I wouldn't be a bit surprised if he wrote the screenplay first, then the remainder of the book. I really enjoyed the artwork sprinkled through out the pages and the dictionary definitions are hysterical. If you haven't read anything by White, this is much heavier than his previous work, so beware. A crisp new book by a true artist. Bravo!
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