Incurable by E.C. Moore Publication Date: July 6, 2015BookTrope PublishingeBook; 360 PagesGenre: Historical Suspense/Literary
Synopsis: Her menacing past was loose and in close pursuit. The fear of the thing lived in her eyes, and trepidation sounded with each step her heels made as she fled…
Los Angeles 1956—Marilyn Palmer is a beauty with a deep dark secret. After a threatening note from a blackmailer arrives she hires a private eye to help keep her unsavory past under wraps.
Incurable is a story wrought with impetuous and regrettable decisions made by a desperate young woman. Barely eighteen years old, and a gifted seamstress, she makes the ill-fated decision to run away from her Detroit home with a wily friend. Bound for Hollywood, and seeking stardom, the girls set out on an incredible journey.
This splendidly imagined debut explores the tumultuous life and times of a woman who suffered the ultimate betrayal as a child during the Great Depression. A story of survival set against the backdrop of early Hollywood, misery on Hotel Street in Honolulu before the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and heartbreak in Los Angeles during WWII, Incurable delivers an emotional intensity rarely found.
My Review: In 1956, Marilyn Walsh catches the eye of a handsome doctor in Los Angeles. They fall in love at first sight and shortly afterwards marry. Marilyn adjusts herself to be a doctor’s wife and has a daughter named Lily. One day Marilyn receives a blackmail note that threatens all she holds dear. She hires a private detective named Reg, and the two of them go on a mission to find the blackmailer.
The story alternates back and forth from Marilyn's present and past. In this novel, we slowly peel off Marilyn's layers as we see how Marilyn has arrived in the present. The reader then realizes that there is more to Marilyn then what she seems. There are ghosts from her past that seek to reveal who she is. While Marilyn is the main character, the viewpoints from the present also alternately switch from Marilyn to Reg as he seeks to solve the case.
Marilyn is a complex character. She has a dark past that she does not want to reveal. She hopes that in her present life that she can let go of her past and to start over. However, with the blackmail note, she knows that her past can not be erased completely. She has a tragic childhood, but she has found a place of belonging by making friends with June, a feisty young girl. Together the two of them run away to Hollywood where they hope to make their dreams come true. At first Marilyn is naive and idealistic. She believes that she can be successful and that she can start her life anew. However, circumstances prove that it is not to be the case. Throughout her adventures, Marilyn strives to find happiness and to erase her past.
Overall, this story is about friendship, choices, forgiveness, and redemption. It is about a girl’s quest to find her identity and her sense of belonging. While I found the mystery element to be unsatisfying and needs improvement, I did like that it was a character driven story. The characters were complex, and were very relatable. The reader will be immersed in Marilyn's story, and the reader could not help but empathize with her as she makes tough choices. I also found the setting to be very detailed, and felt like I was transported alongside her walking the streets of Los Angeles. This novel is recommended for anyone who is into mysteries, historical fiction, and1950s Hollywood.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
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