A beautiful house from where she can write and illustrate her children’s books, and an attentive and understanding boyfriend is everything she has ever wanted. When Marisa moves in with Jake, it seems like she has finally found the emotional stability she is looking for. It is also a sensitive and empathic depiction of a woman who has been raped and has spent her adult life searching for a way to love and feel loved again, as well as dealing with her complex and at times overwhelming mental issues. What I can tell you is that as a fan of Elizabeth Day’s writing, Magpie is a brilliantly observed and incredibly compelling novel about the way in which a woman’s worth is measured by her ability to have children and be a mother. This is largely due to the fact that to tell you really anything too much about the plot of #Magpie would be to ruin it completely – I’m not even joking! I am going to start this review by telling you this will be a bit of a different post from me. How far will she go to find the answer – and how much is she willing to lose? That the woman sleeping in their house will stop at nothing to get what she wants. And she trusts him – doesn’t she?īut Marisa knows something is wrong. Is it the way she looks at Marisa’s boyfriend? Sits too close on the sofa? Constantly asks about the baby they are trying for? Or is it all just in Marisa’s head?Īfter all, that’s what her Jake keeps telling her. In Jake, Marisa has found everything she’s ever wanted.

Magpie by elizabeth day review