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Mazie Baby by Julie Frayn
Mazie Reynolds married one man but is currently cohabitating with another in Julie Frayn’s novel Mazie Baby. She wraps herself in blankets from head to toe to hide the bruises and makes plans to go since she knows that each outburst might be the last one she puts up with. Mazie knows it’s time to flee when Cullen directs his wrath at their young daughter. Can she elude Cullen long enough to save her and her small daughter?
Mazie Baby was a very challenging book to read, but you can tell as you close the cover that you’ve read genius on paper. Frayn has a flair for language and can compose prose that is extraordinarily vivid. I typically am able to distance myself from the brutality and violence in a piece, but I cried and shook for the most of Mazie Baby’s first half. The book is opened with the arrogant neighbour chatting with Maize at her mailbox and remarking on the fact that she is completely covered.
There is a time when calling the police is a possibility. Mazie chooses not to press charges even though she is aware of the hostility she will encounter. The reader may relate to the idea that the victim of abuse is extremely alone, and when the abuser grabs their kid and essentially says that she is old enough to be abused, the reader feels a full feeling of urgency. This is a woman who realizes that this is no way to live and knows there’s a better way out than death if only she can find an escape.
Julie Frayn brings us inside the courtroom beside this victim of ongoing abuse as she thinks back on the admirable and endearing Cullen. Why do females return? Mazie, who is no longer taken in by the charm, observes the play between her husband and daughter and then tells the reader her own account. Similar to R.H. Ramsey, she gives readers a very unvarnished view of a subject for which those who are not experiencing it have too little empathy and frequently don’t take it seriously enough.
We say, “If she were in true danger, she’d run away.” Leaving is difficult, especially if you have a child and need to protect him or her from your abuser. Its better to be there with them and deflect the anger than to risk them being the only target. As I write this, I’m crying again. This was such a well-written, soul-wrenching, heart-breaking read.
When they manage to flee, Maize perceives the escape less as an act of retaliation and more as a fresh wound. She is aware that she must do whatever action is necessary to get away and protect her daughter, Ariel. At the conclusion of the book, Ariel speaks briefly in a soliloquy about the dilemma of abuse victims who do what they must and fall prey to the system. Although Mazie and Ariel make an effort, it is obvious that they will never be able to move on. Frayn demonstrates to the reader in the second half of the book how difficult it is to pick up the pieces and trust, particularly if the way you left required a trip into the judicial system.
It is impossible to find fault with Mazie Baby’s sincere feeling. When readers finish the book, they will feel as though they have learned something that is both vital and genuinely real for those of us who are fortunate enough to have not experienced this circumstance. Readers might question whether Mazie really had no choice, but whether or not she did is irrelevant.
SELF thought she didn’t. In her position, how would you react? Would you plan a successful escape or would you fight back? Could you share custody with a violent partner, leaving the child vulnerable to your rage attacks and even dying at your home? Frayn’s talent for the dark side of life shines bright in the smooth flow of Mazie Baby.
About The Book
Mazie Reynolds has moxie from the top of her bruised face to the tip of her broken wrist. She married a man she adored and who adored her in return. But over 14 years, her happy marriage soured with each new beating. When her husband’s attentions shift to their 12-year-old daughter, Mazie knows that it’s time to get the hell out. She hatches a plan to escape. But can she outwit the man she vowed to obey until death they do part?
When Mazie Reynolds was a young girl, she believed monsters lived under her bed. Now a grown, married woman, she discovers one sleeps in her bed. Mazie schemes to save herself and her daughter. Her plan will work, if she can out-maneuver the monster who is a master of manipulation and control. She’s got one thing going for her, the one thing she truly owns. Mazie has moxie to the bone. But will it be enough?
The Review
Mazie Baby
9.5 Score
This is a fine book on many levels: the authenticity of its portrayal of the spousal abuse syndrome which Frayne has obviously researched with care, the sensitive handling of the main characters, both that of the abused wife and that of the pubescent daughter, the shame, the hiding, the denial. The dialogue is superbly real. Frayne also understands and is able to demonstrate why abused women stay in the relationship, in spite of the fear of being killed if they do. This is often the most difficult aspect to understand and communicate for those who have not lived it and the most difficult to accept for those on the outside looking in.
PROS
- Mazie Baby is a well-written story of domestic abuse and, eventually, redemption.
- Mazie Baby is captivating, realistic, and a very fast-paced read.
CONS
- Story was good and well written, language was bad, vulgar and profane all through the book.
- This could have been a good book except for the unnecessary foul language.
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