Mrs. March is a woman of leisure and routine. She has built a comfortable life with her husband, George March, who has accumulated a loyal following of readers who praise his books as masterpieces. Mrs. March usually revels in the attention of being married to such a successful author, but the attention she receives after his latest novel makes her spiral into paranoia. It starts with an off-hand comment by the lady at her favorite bakery about the similarities between Mrs. March and Johanna, the protagonist of George’s latest novel. Mrs. March is appalled at the slightest possibility that Johanna was in any way inspired by her because Johanna is a purposely detestable character. This possible betrayal by her husband shakes her to her core, and she begins to unravel at an alarming speed, making us question whether her sanity was ever truly intact to begin with.
One thing I found interesting is that Mrs. March is only ever referred to by that name. We are told her story through a third person narrator, but the story is completely from her point of view. We are even given glimpses of her childhood, and still in these flashbacks she is only referred to as Mrs. March. This suggests a lack of a solid personal foundation. Her entire existence is defined by her marriage. Naturally, when the cracks start to show in their relationships, her cracks become more and more evident as well.
I’d be very interested to know what a psychiatrist might say about Mrs. March because, as I read her story, I continually found myself wondering if it is possible she may be Schizophrenic. Regardless, it is a very interesting story of extreme paranoia akin to something Alfred Hitchcock would have produced. I also find unreliable main characters fascinating, as you are never quite able to predict what they may do next.
For All Story Lovers! 