Someone Like Me by M.R. Carey
Orbit
Pp. 500
In many ways this novel by M.R.
Carey reminds me of those by Stephen King. It is rooted in reality with a
strong dose of pop culture. The relationships seem true and sympathetic, with
natural dialogue and some elements of humour. The concept of split
personalities, or multiple characters in different dimensions, is a good one,
and the supernatural elements creep in subtly. It would make a great film, with
strong visuals and spooky scenes, but the ending is ultimately unsatisfactory
and leaves the reader (or potential viewer) wondering how on earth they are
ever going to get away with telling that story to the police.
It begins with a
sadly familiar tale of domestic violence, as Liz Kendall is being strangled by
her ex-husband, Marc. It appears that has another character inside her, Beth,
who comes out after years of abuse to fight back. The abuse is documented as
part of an on-going case: “That was a lot less exciting and TV-movie-forensic
than it sounded.” The author is aware that this is commonplace and that we have
seen it all before in modern culture, so he has to make it about more than
‘just’ domestic violence.
We sympathise
with Liz; she is poor with two kids to raise (Zac and Molly), an abusive
ex-husband and a terrible medical insurance policy. When she is first ousted by
Beth, there may be sympathy for her too, as Beth has been repeatedly killed by
Marc in different times and other realms. We feel for her absence and all the
things she has missed, as she hugs Molly, “It was the first human contact Beth
had experienced in what felt like a hundred years that wasn’t born out of
violent rage.” But Beth will then use anything to survive, even at the expense
of the children, and we begin to wonder about her motives.
Meanwhile, Zac’s schoolmate,
Fran, is also one of these people who is aware of the multiple options of things
happening in different futures or pasts, and she recognises the duality of
Zac’s mum, Liz/Beth. When she was a child, Fran was abducted and taken to the
Perry Friendly Motel by a man (Bruno Picota) who saw two personalities in her
and tried to kill one. Throughout the trial that led to his incarceration in an
asylum, he became known as the Shadowman because he constantly referred to
shadows that move independently of their host or ‘skadegamutc’ from Native
American culture. He describes this (in a transcript that Fran and Zac
conveniently locate) as “the ghost of a witch. A ghost, but it’s got magic. An
evil spirit. And you can’t ever see where it might have come from. You just see
that it’s there.”
Like
Stephen King, Carey incorporates Native American
elements, pop culture references, ‘innocent’ children involved in violent and
spooky situations, cinematic and comic book devices (he used to write comics
for DC including Lucifer and Hellblazer), and a denouement at a creepy,
deserted motel. The genre-crossing thriller ghost story is domestic in scope
with science-fiction undertones, but there are sufficient similar themes to
those found in Fellside, which I read
earlier this year, that I don’t think I need to read any more of Carey’s novels
for a while.
 |
| Skadegamutc or forest witch |
Fran also has an
alter-ego who is a cartoon fox with a sword and armour, Lady Jinx from Knights of the Woodland Table. Fran
comes to understand that Picota was obsessed with split personalities or
detached characters, who have been separated from the original. He thought he
had killed one of hers. Did he?
As in Fellside, M.R. Carey takes us to a world
of psychologists and criminals as he explores the dark places of the mind. Is
this what happens to the brain when it tries to shield the body from pain, or
to remove the memories of experiences that are too traumatic to confront? Are
these supernatural elements based on self-delusion, or is medication involved?
There is enough ambiguity to interest the reader as the novel crosses from the
solid world we know to the less certain one we fear.
