6. Madigan Mine by Kirstyn McDermott
This novel opens with the funeral of the title character, which you would think would be a bit of a downer for the story, but the truth is Madigan is very much a part of this novel dead or alive. We follow this story through Alex’s eyes; He is the ex-boyfriend of Madigan who loved her deeply and can’t let her go. Madigan doesn’t seem to be able to leave Alex alone either, even after her death.
Kirstyn writes creepy with such skill and so poetically that this book is a pleasure to read. Not only is the story well paced and surprising, but the prose Kirstyn uses to paint her word pictures is just stunning. The parts of the book that take place within the mind are so well written that I felt like I was actually there in the brain, feeling the wetness and warmth! I told you –creepy.
This is Kirstyn’s first novel, but her short stories have been widely published and are prize winners, which gives you an idea of the calibre of her writing style. It is a novel that leverages off a disturbing sense of twisted reality rather than gore or grossness to draw chills from her readers. It won’t have you covering your eyes, but it might make you a little loath to go out on that second date with that too-good-to-be-true person you met on RSVP last week.
Madigan Mine is a new release that can be picked up at most books shops now (including Target and Big W) so support a local Melbourne writer and buy a copy!
