I Am Mary Dunne

Book excerpt: A day in the life of a mad housewife in Manhattan: “One of the truest and most awesome books I have ever read” (The Scotsman). She was born Mary Dunne. A New York actress in a stalled career, she’s previously been known as Maria and Martha. Married three times, she’s also been called Mrs. Phelan, Mrs. Bell, and currently, Mrs. Terence Lavery—wife of the esteemed playwright. No wonder Mary Dunne forgot her name this morning at the hairdresser. She has no idea who she is anymore. Or maybe she’s just crazy. She’s curious to find out. Over the course of a single day, Mary tries to recall more than her name. But as memories of her past come trickling back—infuriating, illuminating, and grievous—she realizes there’s so much she’d prefer to forget. As she tries to escape what she calls “the dooms,” Mary must confront what she’s done with her life—deliberately, haplessly, or by default. If only she were going crazy; it would be so much easier to explain it all away. Hailed by the Globe and Mail as a “feminist novel written before the wave of feminist novels began,” I Am Mary Dunne is “as complex and satisfying as anything Moore has yet done” (The Observer).