Marshmallows

by Colin O'Sullivan

It is Christmas Eve in London. Ben Morrigan is in boyfriend David’s kitchen making Christmas crackers. The pair is invited to dinner at David’s childhood home, the stylish abode of theatre – and sometimes TV – star Charles Cunningham. For David, that should be the perfect occasion to introduce Ben to the family for the first time. The couple set out on a car journey, and all is clearly not well. They bicker and argue, and something is preoccupying the dark mind of swarthy Ben, this young man who makes his living from making film/theatre props and constructing sets. The scene he has on his mind on this day is one of vengeance for wrongs inflicted a long time ago. Charles Cunningham and his wife Lydia wait nervously for the arrival of the guests and are ensconced in their own squabbling. Lydia worries about the state of mind of her aging husband – he has begun to forget things and, when pushed on certain topics, it becomes evident that they have escaped him altogether. But how much of his past will he be allowed to evade? The Christmas tree Charles gazes upon looks lopsided, as if it hasn’t been set up properly and will tumble down at any this central metaphor becomes an apt appraisal for the life he has lived and the truths he will be made face, as apt a metaphor as that of the marshmallows he sometimes indulges things that are soft, sweet, delicate and effortlessly consumed, but are now back to haunt like spectres from Christmases past. The scene is set for a fraught encounter as hunter and hunted face off on a dark winter night. Memories are summoned, or are practically wrenched back into play, many of which would perhaps be better off left locked away in a dusty old prop chest with the other Waiting for Godot accoutrements, the bowler hats, the stinging whip; and on a bare theatre stage an intense interrogation and crippling castigation is about to take place, which will frazzle nerves, break relationships and go as far as to upend the very notion of family. Will anyone come out of it unscathed, or is it just that, as Ben’s favourite Christmas song has it, “the Christmas you get… you deserve”?

192 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 9, 2020

Reviews

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the beginning of Marshmallows the reader meets a pair of brawny identical twins disabling security cameras; also Ben, who is sitting at the kitchen table making Christmas crackers. His partner, David has just got up; he has a hangover and is making coffee. It’s Xmas eve and they will soon be travelling to David’s parents, Charles and Lydia Cunningham's house. Ben makes sets props for a living and is creative. David, a bit of a party animal, and Ben have been together for a year. They are having the turkey, cranberry sauce and Brussels sprouts on Christmas Eve as Charles and Lydia are heading off to Greece as a late birthday present for Lydia...

A family drama/ crime read, I thoroughly enjoyed this. Nothing is predictible, including the ending.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Betimes Books via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

[Sevda Erdoğan · Rating 5 out of 5]

MARŞMELOV
Colın O’SULLIVAN

“Belki de tiyatro hayatımızın bir parçası olduğu içindir, senin hayatın yani, ama aynı zamanda dolaylı olarak benim de. Bazen dediğimiz şeyler… Sanki bizim için yazılmış gibiler. Sanki biz sadece birer karakteriz.“
#alıntı

Kitabın adını okuduğunuzda eminim ilk düşünceniz şeker tadında yumuşacık bir hikaye olduğudur ki bende aynı duygularla başlamıştım okumaya. Ama maalesef #marşmelov bambaşka bir hikaye olduğu gibi okurunu hüzünlendirirken gerilim dolu anlarda yaşatıyor.
Öncelikle belirteyim okumaya başladığımda ilk sayfalar biraz zor ilerledi ve kendimi kurguya veremedim ama sonrasında merak, heyecan, gerilim ve acaba ne olacak düşüncesi beni ele geçirdi adeta.

Sevgili olan Ben ve David, Noeli David’in ailesi ile kutlamak için son hazırlıklarını yaparlerken bir taraftanda David’in gece eve geç gelmiş olmasının gerginliğini yaşıyorlardı. Ya da David öyle olduğunu düşünüyor ama sevgilisini aiesiyle tanıştıracağı için yaşadığı heyecandan dolayı bu durumun çokta üzerinde durmamaya çalışıyordu. Ben’in aklından geçenler ve yaptığı planlar ise David’in hissetiklerinden çok daha farklıydı.

Ünlü bir tiyatro oyuncusu olan ve alzheimerın belirtilerini gösteren Charles ile alkolle başı dertte olan Lydia ise tüm hazırlıklarını tamamlamış oğulları David ile sevgilisi Ben’i bekliyorlardı heyecanla. Yol boyunca Ben’in tuhaf davranışları David’in dikkatinden kaçmamış olsada farketmediği durumlar vardı büyük bir planın parçası olan ve Ben’in hazırladığı oyununun sahnelenmesine saatler kalmıştı. Ben ile tanışmak için hazırlık yapan sadece David’in anne babası değildi, Ben’in sürprizleri, saklı kalmış sırları ortaya çıkartırken bazı gerçeklerde gün yüzüne çıkacaktı.
Ama neydi sırlar ve kimin etrafında dönüyordu tüm hikaye?
Eminim Marşmelov’un kurgudaki yerini ve öneminide merak etmişsindir.
Tüm cevaplar ve sizi etkisi altına alacak hikayemiz tabii ki kitabımızda.
TAVSİYEMdir.
Syf: 244

[Denis Wheller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Colin O'Sullivan stories are always somewhat idiosyncratic and this one is no exception. The two main protagonists are from theatrical backgrounds and this is underscored by the structure of the plot, which is Pinteresque with echoes of Beckett, and the style of the presentation, which is rather script like with Director’s notes inserted.
Ben a meticulous, almost obsessive, set and prop designer is preparing to meet the parents of his boyfriend, David, by assembling personalised Christmas crackers. Charles, David’s father, is a formerly famous stage actor now showing signs of Alzheimer's or other form of dementia. David is essentially a cypher in the plot and his mother, Lydia, is a lush, mainly included for comic relief. The four will meet for Christmas dinner on the Eve rather than the Day because the parents are leaving for a holiday in Greece.
Interspersed between the scenes of preparation and dining we are given flashbacks to rehearsals for a production of Waiting for Godot, which are clearly going to be relevant to the rationale of the plot. Though not directly stated, it is easy for the reader to identify which of the characters feature in these interludes and to deduce their relevance. For initially unknown reasons Ben, with the aid of ex-con twin brothers, is engaged on a criminal enterprise against the family.
And so the stage is set for tragedy.
The plot unfolds in an inevitable manner, but that is often the way with stage plays – theatre has its conventions!
I rather enjoyed the book, but I can appreciate that many readers of mystery novels may find it irritating – because these two have their conventions!
I usually only review books pre-publication but got this through a misunderstanding. However, I'm glad I read it. I would like to thank NetGalley, the author and the publishers for the opportunity.

[Jill Burgin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ben and David are partners getting ready to do the meet the parents thing. It’s Christmas Eve, full of good cheer, yet something is off. A very different novel from what I was expecting and I’m better off for it, I think.