Wretched:

by Katherine Marple

Shane loves her but is afraid of her sickness. They've been together for years, but have grown apart. Even though they constantly fight, he clings to her as much as he can, because he's afraid to let her go. Drew loves her because she seems to understand him. She's beautiful and open, exciting, and his best friend. But he knows her heart belongs to Shane, no matter what she tries to believe. She isn't ready for him. Or is she? She is confused and battling with every aspect of her life. Her relationship with her mother is volatile; her father is calmly holding her emotions together; her disease is taking over her body and her life; and her passionate relationships with men are simply stressing her out. Will she put her unpredictable emotions in check before she loses everything?

214 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2008

About the author

Katherine Marple has been writing since the ripe age of ten. In her elementary school yearbook, she wrote simply: "I want to be an author when I grow up." She used to spend her summers reading and writing so much that her fingers grew calluses and paper cuts.

At the age of fourteen, "I even took time to bind my first books - murder mysteries, if you'd believe it- with glue and construction paper. I was so proud to see my books like 'real books.' Even now that I have three published books under my belt, nothing will ever top the feeling when I held my first 'bound' book in my hands. It was called: This is Now. It was a little misshapen and sticky... but it was mine."

Katherine Marple grew up in Northern CT, and later in life, graduated to lower Massachusetts. She travels between New York City and Boston frequently "for the love of the cities, the bustle, the people, and the magnificence of all those buildings!"

She has many interests, though "I wouldn't call them 'talents.'" She enjoys serenading (badly) on her violin, attending photo shoots for modeling, singing in her rock band Invictus, fundraising for the cure of Type 1 Diabetes (www.FightingTheUnseen.com), pretending she's fashionable and (of course) writing many many different versions of her stories until the "voices quiet down. That's when I know I've got it right... I'm not crazy, I promise."

But, mostly, if you're looking for Ms Marple, you would find her sitting outside while reading a book or bowling with her friends. "As geeky as that may make me sound, I thoroughly enjoy my life. This is what I've worked so hard for."

You may contact Katherine Marple at her website: www.KatherineMarple.com

She loves to hear from her fans and will respond personally.

Reviews

[Kevis Hendrickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wretched (This is My Sorry) by Katherine Marple is one of the most beautiful stories I’ve ever read. I cannot recall the last time I felt for a character in a book as I did in this one. Wretched is more than a love story. It contains many elements that are somewhat biographical, but always emotional. But the beauty of it is that this is not a story that you read, but rather feel.

In Wretched, a young woman is suffering from diabetes mellitus. Her disease has taken over her life and affects her relationship with her loved ones, including her mother. Even her boyfriend, Shane, has trouble dealing with her extreme mood swings brought about by her illness. As her biological clock ticks toward complete shutdown, the young woman’s heartbreaking tale of trying to cope with her deadly disease while maintaining some semblance of a normal life is gut-wrenching to say the least.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a story of the heart. This is especially the case since this is a story that has its base in an issue that millions of people are faced with every day. Katherine’s passion for the suffering of people with Diabetes is evident in the compassion in which she tells this tale. I will never forget this book, not only because it is well told, but also because I feel as though any one of us could end up experiencing the trials that the main character in this story endures.

[Tara Chevrestt · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a woman who has my own disability, I could relate to the heroine of this book. She suffers type 1 diabetes. She is young and tired of fighting her disease. This is a disease that can take over your life. It's not a simple matter of changing your diet. (Note, there are different kinds of diabetes. The kind the heroine has is not talked about in infocommericals. The more common diabetes is type 2.)....

For full review and helpful information about type 1 diabetes, please click the following link...

http://wwwbookbabe.blogspot.com/2010/...

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would recommend 'Wretched' to anyone who wants a quick, entertaining read. It certainly is a page-turner.
'Wretched' is the story of a young girl suffering from 'type one' diabetes and goes some way to educating people who do not know about the disease. It is also a story of love and loss, as the young girl battles between her feelings for the man she has loved for most of her life, and a new man on the scene. It's written in the first person from the young girl's viewpoint (I don't think we ever find out her name). I felt that it was very much like reading someone's journal/diary rather than a novel. But in a way, this made it more intriguing.
My main issue with the novel was that I could not warm to the main character. She came across as very needy, selfish and self-obsessed. This of course, may have been intentional, and maybe a result of the years of suffering with her disease, or due to her unhappy childhood. It was hard to feel any sympathy for someone who was so unstable and did not seem to even care about herself.
The book could have benefited from some editing in parts. At times I also thought that it would have been better to have written the novel in the third person and to have included more about her past. This would have enabled the author to develop the other characters. For example, the book would have benefitted from development of the girl's father's character, as he played such an important role at the end of the story, but was a very minor character up until that point.
There were a few memorable and inspirational quotes in the novella, and I enjoyed the poems which were scattered among the pages, even though I'm not a great fan of poetry. The ending was a good twist, if not entirely unforeseeable.
I recently read Katherine Marple's latest novella 'Okay' and really enjoyed it. I feel that in 'Okay' Marple has found her 'voice'. 'Wretched' is an earlier work and not as accomplished; but, like 'Okay', it does contain signs that this author is destined for greatness.
I am looking forward to Katherine Marple's next book

[Amber Lehman · Rating 5 out of 5]

In “Wretched (this is my sorry)” Katherine Marple poignantly retells the story of her life of love and loss through her struggle with diabetes mellitus (Diabetes Type 1), which is a truly terrifying disease. Sections of poetry give you insight into the state of her mind as she tries to cope with what is going on inside her. I can’t think of any other way to describe the narrator’s voice other than it grips you from the start and does not let go. She has an intense and volatile relationship with her boyfriend Shane, who after he leaves her once, she has trouble trusting again when they reconcile. Eventually when the fighting becomes too much, she finds solace and understanding in her friend Drew with whom she works with at a coffee shop. As Drew and Katherine grow closer, an intimate relationship eventually ensues, only to end too soon. Shane comes back into the picture unfortunately too late for their relationship to survive, even though they both love each other deeply. There have just been too many fights, too many hurts, too much back-and-forthing. As her health condition continues to worsen, she discovers she also now has kidney disease. She has a kidney transplant that doesn’t take, and we end up losing Katherine at the end of the novel. I was in tears by the end. You can just feel her pain as she struggles through her disease and her many hospital visits. I was pulling for her all the way through and was sad when she didn’t survive. This book was well worth the read and one I won’t soon forget.

[Lizmari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many folks will never become intimately familiar with diabetes, outside of the usual TV commercials, or TV news segments. They might be familiar with conversations on diet, or high blood glucose, or the occasional need to lose weight, but diabetes is more than just an umbrella term: it comes in various 'flavors,' and is a much more multifaceted condition than meets the average medical textbook. Diabetes is a life altering disease; a psycho-social disease which often colors our view of the world, and our place in it, molding our feelings for friends and family, our hopes and dreams, and the way we engage in relationships.

In "Wretched: (This Is My Sorry)," Katherine Marple paints for us the journey of a young woman. written in first person, experiencing diabetes in just this intimate way: attempting to come to terms with her young adulthood, her dysfunctional family, having type 1 diabetes, and finding a loving and understanding partner. While it really isn't easy finding ourselves, she has to attempt to find herself... with diabetes, and all the burdens it carries. The struggle of dealing with painful experiences and memories is difficult for anyone, but even more so when one has bigger boulders to carry. As the story progresses, we see that her life is much more than having diabetes -- but like a shadow, the disease can cast its presence on everything it touches.

We see our young woman struggling with herself, her fears and challenges -- and how those, in turn, skew her view of others, her relationships, and her view of her chances for a future. At times, she seems to ignore her diabetes, for seemingly 'irresponsible' behavior, or in a desire to pursue and live her life with less cares, or to cover and hide her emotions and desperation, or perhaps and simply, out of exhaustion. She often struggles with feelings of self loathing, of 'bad luck,' of the 'inevitability' of her actions and choices, and of cynicism toward type 2 diabetics, and the lack of awareness and information about type 1 diabetes in the world at large.

But mostly, "Wretched" is a story of a kind of awakening; a coming to terms. It takes us through a whirlwind of emotions, and familiar fears. It takes us through love, and life. It is a look at the life worth examined, and perhaps re-examined. It is a book which gives validation to what we consider others will seldom understand.

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed by Melanie Foust for TeensReadToo.com

She loves Shane, but Shane is afraid of losing her. When they're together, they fight, hurling the meanest insults they can imagine. When they're apart, they pine for the other's company.

She works with Drew at her job as a waitress. She finds herself falling for him, as he falls for her, but they both have pasts neither can get over. Shane remains at the back of her mind and in her heart, just as a girl remains in Drew's.

All the while, her disease rages on. Days, sometimes weeks if she's lucky, go by with seemingly nothing wrong. Then it comes back, with each time seeming worse than the one before. The doctors are running out of options, and her time could be running out.

The name of the main character in this story remains a mystery. It made things a bit odd in the beginning chapters, since I kept looking for a name, but after a while, I was able to dismiss it and move on with the story. I have to admit that I'm very curious as to why the main character doesn't have a name, since everyone else in the book does.

The plot moves along at a steady pace. Between her love life and her illness, there is never a boring moment. One of my favorite parts of the plot is her road to becoming a published writer. It's truly her dream, and it's great to watch her journey to capturing it.

The ending of this book is heartbreaking, and I can't help but wish it was different. Yet this book taught me a lot, not only about a deadly disease, but also about living life to the fullest while you have the chance.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a type 1 diabetic I wanted a book that I could relate to. Wretched hit that nail on the head. It was difficult to read at times because it was so close to home. I really enjoyed reading it and am going to have my boyfriend read it as well. The end had me crying. Overall a really good book for someone with type 1 diabetes or someone close to a type 1 diabetic. For someone who knows very little of the disease this book may not be very interesting or make a whole lot of sense. Although I still think it is worth the read even if you don't understand diabetes but take it with a grain of salt and do some of your own research as well. Not every diabetic has the same problems and should not be compared to anyone else real or fictional.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally a book with characters that feel real, make decisions that feel honest, and capture the complicated nature of those of us who think deeply about life. I loved this book. I especially liked that the journey with the main character that was both emotional and physical. The poetry mixed with prose was beautiful. The end was so heartbreaking. However I felt joy in the message: don't take love and life for granted.

[Christy Stewart · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is about a girl who has diabetes written by a girl who is very diabetes minded.

It would be best for someone who has, or is close to, someone with diabetes. It is too chicken-soup-for-the-soul for anyone that would go into the story with a clinical distance from the problem. Although, in the same respect, it might soften your heart to it.

Marple mixes the story with poetry and charts and quotes; which I was happy to see. It makes great use of self-publishing, gives it a real character. As much as I liked it though, in the end it just seemed a little hodgepodge. Too heavy handed.

Here is a dramatic scene.
Here is a poem.
Here is an inspirational quote you'll hear at every high school graduation.
You feeling emotions yet?

Marple has a lot of potential and so I think when she can start typing with her middle finger more and take a scalpel to her work she will do something great.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very sad story and you can guess what happens at the end. I can identify with what the narrator was going through; however, she did nothing to help her diabetes (she smoked, drank, and was constantly eating ice cream!).

I do applaud the work Marple is doing to find a cure for diabetes.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was not well written and it was very hard to care about the main character

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, but had a hard time relating to the main character.