“”Dangerous Woman” by Mary McGarry Morris is a powerful and poignant novel that tells the story of Martha Horgan, a mentally challenged woman whose life is a constant struggle for acceptance and normalcy. Martha’s honesty and inability to understand social nuances make her vulnerable in the small Vermont town where she lives.
Martha’s world is turned upside down when she becomes infatuated with a charming but unscrupulous handyman, Colin Mackey. Colin’s manipulative nature and Martha’s desperate need for love lead to a series of events that spiral out of control, exposing the dark undercurrents of the seemingly quiet community.
As tensions rise, the novel explores themes of isolation, vulnerability, and the thin line between kindness and exploitation. Morris’s empathetic portrayal of Martha provides a deep and moving insight into the challenges faced by those who are different. “Dangerous Woman” is a gripping and emotional tale of resilience, human frailty, and the quest for connection in a world that often misunderstands and marginalizes the vulnerable.”
This is by far the worst representation I’ve seen of mental health. When I read the first chapter of the book and the trauma that the main character, Martha, went through, I was like, “Man, this can be a great book of character development.” I was 100% wrong. Martha was, in fact, a dangerous woman. The title of the book does not lie. She was a stalker and someone who committed multiple acts of domestic violence. I don’t know how we are supposed to root for this character. Yes, you can have unhinged mentally ill characters who are not made to be likable, but in this instance, there was nothing I was gripped by in the character. I do not like this character; it was awful. All of the male characters in this book were creeps. Some of the women did have sense to them, and I did find the character Francis interesting, but nothing can outweigh how bad of a character Martha was.
The atmosphere was reminiscent of Stephen King. I don’t know if it’s because of the New England setting or maybe because Martha had slight vibes of Carrie. Overall, the small-town New England setting was pretty good.
The writing was fine. I had no major complaints about it.
I understand that the overall plot of the story is very important in showing how a rape or an assault can divide a town. In this instance, it just wasn’t done well, and you really had to suspend your disbelief. If you would like a book that follows a similar plot, I would recommend Beartown by Frederick Backman. So much of how the town reacted to Martha was really out there, and the overall development of her character was so bad that I didn’t care for the plot.
This is by far the worst representation I’ve seen of mental health. I don’t know how we are supposed to root for this character. Yes, you can have unhinged, mentally ill characters who are not made to be likable, but in this instance, there was nothing about the character that gripped me. The atmosphere was reminiscent of Stephen King. The New England setting was pretty good. The writing was fine. I had no major complaints about that. I understand that the overall plot of the story is very important in showing how a rape or an assault can divide a town. In this instance, it just wasn’t done well, and you really had to suspend your disbelief. So much of how the town reacted to Martha was really out there, and the overall development of her character was so bad that I didn’t care for the plot.
1 out of 5 stars.
Izzy Reads 