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<\/a><\/p>\nThe Marigold <\/span><\/i>by Andrew F. Sullivan<\/span><\/p>\n ECW Press, 2023<\/span><\/p>\n ISBN: 9781770416642<\/span><\/p>\n Available: Paperback, Kindle edition\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n ( Bookshop.org\u00a0 <\/a>|\u00a0 Amazon.com<\/a> )<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Marigold<\/span><\/i> is a book readers will probably either love or hate: there won’t be a lot of in-between.\u00a0 It has a wildly inventive plotline revolving around city decay and revival, but its more literary style of prose may split readers: some will see it as genius, others as overly pretentious writing.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n As noted, the plot is a true original, a nice horror-spiked take on urban blight.\u00a0 The book asks: what if there is a <\/span>physical<\/span><\/i> cause?\u00a0 That’s where the antagonist of the book, a fungus (or is it?) called the Wet, slides in, invading certain buildings in Toronto.\u00a0 Where the book really shines is playing with the possibilities throughout the book, never giving away too much.\u00a0 Is the Wet just an annoying mold? Can it infect people?\u00a0 Could there be intelligence directing it, or is it a sentient being in its own right?\u00a0 Scary possibilities!\u00a0 The author does a fantastic job leaving the avenues open, and it all becomes clear at the right time.\u00a0 He also avoids the usual big reveal at the end, and the story is much better for it.\u00a0 Tied in to this plot thread is another, the idea of actual sacrifices needing to be made to keep buildings standing upright.\u00a0 The two threads together make for a very creative knot in terms of story.\u00a0 Regardless of whether you like the book, one has to admire how well laid out the scenario is.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The book itself moves at somewhat of a “slow burn” pace, gradually picking up some speed, but it’s not a fast page-turner: it works best read in chunks.\u00a0 The characters push the story where it needs to go. They include a mix of health investigators, unscrupulous land developers, some nosy ordinary citizens, and a conspiracy theorist or two.\u00a0 All the pieces fit where they should in terms of character development, and there’s enough backstory for the characters to appear believable and generate emotion.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n It’s the writing that is a blessing or a curse, depending on how you look at it.\u00a0 This isn’t straight-ahead Stephen King style writing, it’s more in the vein of T.E. Grau.\u00a0 The problem is, it doesn’t always work.\u00a0 The author is capable of reeling off beautifully written passages that would do a literature professor proud, and does it often. However, there are plenty of times where it winds up bogging down the story, instead of driving it.\u00a0 The main examples are the chapters dealing with how the Wet invades different apartments in the building called the Marigold, and what happens to the tenants.\u00a0 These chapters could have been trimmed down or slashed altogether. They muddle the pacing, and don’t add to the story.\u00a0 I started skimming those chapters, since I already knew how the chapters were going to end.\u00a0 Some of the character dialogue scenes suffered the same problem. They needed less fluff and more stuff. \u00a0 When it’s good, it’s very good, but the book lacks consistency.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bottom line time: The Marigold <\/em>has a lot of good qualities, but also some glaring deficiencies to overcome.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Recommended for readers who like what they read above.\u00a0 It’s not for all, but definitely for some.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Reviewed by Murray Samuelson<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Marigold by Andrew F. Sullivan ECW Press, 2023 ISBN: 9781770416642 Available: Paperback, Kindle edition\u00a0 ( Bookshop.org\u00a0 |\u00a0 Amazon.com ) The Marigold is a book readers will probably either love or hate: there won’t be a lot of in-between.\u00a0 It has a wildly inventive plotline revolving around city decay and revival, but<\/p>\n