Imagine incredible pain. Bones are broken. Blood is mixing with the rain that is pouring down on your bruised and broken body. It’s getting harder to breathe, and all you can think about is your daughter, your sweet little girl. And then the pain is gone, you’re dry and in a place that is completely unfamiliar to you. Welcome to the Duration, Molly Marx.
Sally Koslow gives the reading world a wonderful novel about mystery, illicit romances, and accepting life choices in The Late, Lamented Molly Marx. The story centers around Molly Marx, a woman who was murdered in her thirties, while out riding her bike. She finds herself, however, in the Duration, a cross between heaven and purgatory. Molly is able to watch her family: her husband, Barry; her daughter, Annabell; and her sister and best friend. She is also able to hear people’s thought when she tunes in, and follows a detective, Hiawatha Hicks, as he tries to solve her murder.
In this non-corporeal form, Molly is able to find answers she couldn’t in real life, such as how badly her husband was a cheater, and the fact that marriage counseling was a joke to him, for he was continuing to see women on the side. She also goes back in time to the years leading up to her murder, reviewing all the choices she made and accepting those choices.
Koslow has created a deeply moving, can’t-put-it-down novel. I thoroughly enjoyed being shown the intimate details of Molly’s life, her choices and how they affected her in the long run. I also enjoyed being able to see into other’s heads through Molly’s abilities to see how much they tickled or ticked her off. It’s my belief that the readers will enjoy that as well.
Also, the characters are so well fleshed out that the readers can dive into the story with them, watching them much like Molly does. The romances are sweet and tender, as well as illicit, and add spice. The secondary characters such as Molly’s sister and best friend, Lucy and Brie respectively, add a nice secondary plotline.
Thought-provoking, powerful, and at times, funny, The Late, Lamented Molly Marx is a definite must-read. Along with a lovely tale, the reader will find a message that shouts to live your life to the fullest while you can.
Comments