M in the Abstract

by Douglas Davey

Overview

M is for Mary whose real name is Mariposa. She is a troubled girl who is haunted by mysterious dark shadows. She knows little about her father, and her mother can't accept her for who she is. Mary's attempts to dare to make connections with other people are doomed to fail as long as the shadows loom within her — until she figures out how she can gain control of them and use their power.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781552443460
Publisher:	Red Deer Press
Publication date:	06/19/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	1 MB
Age Range:	12 - 14 Years

About the Author

Douglas Davey holds degrees in fine art, education, and library science. Currently, he is the Children’s and Youth Services Librarian for the Halton Hills Public Library. He has been playing guitar for over 20 years, most recently with a Joy Division cover band. He lives with his family in Guelph, Ontario.

Read an Excerpt

“As Mary rises from sleep, shadowy forms drift around her room. They circle her small bed, moving lazily, the silhouettes of spineless creatures. She opens her eyes slightly, taking in the sight of the shades swirling above and around her. As always, she has the sensation of lying at the bottom of a vast aquarium while creatures dark and nameless whirl slowly around her.

‘Go away,’ she says wearily and the shadows begin to break their ceaseless spinning. One of them, a squat ghost-like creature with two staring holes where eyes should be, drifts down to her. ‘Not you, Inky,’ she murmurs. Lying on her side she raises one arm slightly. In response, the shadow drifts under it, resting against her black t-shirt like a teddy bear. As she wakes more fully, the featureless shades dissipate, their bodies fading away like wind-blown smoke. Black wisps curl within the spaces the shadows once occupied until a final gust blows the last scraps away. Within minutes she feels the thing under her arm begin to lose solidity. As it disappears completely, she coils up and tries not to move.”

Editorial Reviews

The strength of M in the Abstract comes from Davey's refusal to fully answer all of the reader's questions, including questions about Mary's mental state, why her dad left, and where he is now. These ambiguities add depth and may keep readers engaged as they want to uncover the truth about Mary's strange experiences and atypical behaviour."
Recommended.
— CM Magazine

"The strength of this novel lies in its characters, and the skillful way in which Davey portrays Mary's relationship with the people around her - from her mother's well-meaning but failed efforts to draw her out, to her confusion at attracting the attention of two different boys, and her easy acceptance by Cammy and Krystin. With each encounter, readers witness Mary's growing stresses, and they will feel as though they are brought to the edge right along with Mary. Also interesting is the author's choice to be deliberately ambiguous in parts of the novel. Mary herself feels ambiguous and unknowing, and it certainly leaves room for readers to draw their own conclusions about what those answers are. Original and timely, teens looking for a contemporary, literary read will find much to enjoy with this novel."
— Canadian Children's Book News

From the Publisher