“Mad Mabel” is a magnificent novel. Usually, after reading a story that is engrossing, that has unexpected twists, and that really packs a punch at the end, writing the review is easy. I like to say about a great novel, “The review practically writes itself.” So while I think this is a brilliant novel, and I believe it would be a fabulous choice as a book club read, the review for this complex story is not writing itself. There are so many layers to Mabel’s story that delicacy is required so as to not spoil the novel for those who have not read it.

Sally Hepworth starts off with the topic of murder on the very first page as we are told that the two groups of people who are rarely suspected of murder are old ladies and young girls. We hear from the titular character, Mabel, as she tells us she likes to think she’s special. In first person narrative, Mabel tells us about her current life and reminisces about her childhood. Mabel is quite intelligent, and her narration fully demonstrates that. She is also a curmudgeon, and methinks she overdoes the curmudgeonly part because by the end of the novel, we know that Mabel is really like a perfectly roasted marshmallow: crispy and crunchy on the outside, but pure soft sweetness inside. Mabel doesn’t hide her sweetness, rather it’s as if she isn’t aware that it exists.

In the very first chapter, Mabel introduces her neighbors on the small, intimate street on which she resides, Kenny Lane. It’s in a rather shabby part of Melbourne, and there are only six houses on the street. While Mabel is fond of one of her neighbors, Peter, she’s at odds with all the others. She despises her next-door neighbor, Old Ishaan, whom she describes as her nemesis. So when she discovers that he’s died, and she calls the authorities, problems arise.

Mabel doesn’t watch her words, so when the police arrive, she doesn’t see any problem telling them exactly how much she disliked Ishaan. Despised, actually. And flippantly explaining to the police that she never threatened to kill him because, “Anyone who knows me knows that if I was going to kill him, I’d never forewarn him,” was probably not something that would ensure looking innocent.

And, of course, as we quickly learn, the gossip and innuendo that has swirled around Mabel her whole life since early childhood would label her as anything but innocent. Mabel is the youngest person in Australia ever convicted of murder. But what is unclear at first is whom exactly Mabel was convicted of murdering. It becomes apparent as Mabel recounts her horrendous childhood that there are so many choices. Because in spite of being born into a wealthy, comfortable mansion, Mabel’s young years were a nightmare.

In spite of all that, Mabel believes her story is a love story. In the very first chapter, she tells us that. “It may not seem like it, what with all the blood and guts and murder, but nevertheless, that’s what it is. And there is no greater love story than that of platonic female love. The kind of love I have with Daphne.” She explains that friends are like oxygen. And if we’ve had friends, we might not understand that. “If you’d always been surrounded by air, you wouldn’t think to credit it for your very existence either. But I’ve spent much of my life gasping for breath, so I promise you, It’s true. Friends are like oxygen.” And she tells us that the only reason she’s alive is because of her friend Daphne.

Mabel agrees to tell the story about her infamous childhood to two young podcasters, and that’s the vehicle through which we learn about her sad younger years. The years when she had no friends, and even her own parents shunned her. As the story alternates between “then” and the now, we grow to admire and respect Mabel.

What we come to realize is that in spite of all the violence, the brutality, the deaths, and the blood, this is, indeed, a love story about friends and friendship. But it’s not the story that Mabel thinks it is. It’s also a story about a child who was bullied, who was ostracized, who was abused mentally and physically. It’s about the harm that ugly rumors and cruel gossip inflict on the victims. And it’s also a story that is incredibly lovely, touching as much as heartbreaking. Because it is about love, and it’s about how we don’t really know what makes other people tick. In our society of superficial social media with picture perfect scenes and picture perfect bodies, those who, like Mabel, don’t fit the perfect stereotype are excluded. But inside? People feel the same hurt, bleed the same blood, and suffer just as much as anyone else. This powerful novel, exhibiting the full gamut of human emotions, is a must read. Mabel is truly an unforgettable character.

My review was first posted on Bookreporter.com.