A PLAY ABOUT A CURSE - Caroline Macon Fleischer


Corey is a young woman with dreams of a life in the theatre. Maxine is the respected, award-winning dramatist currently leading a workshop where she encourages Corey. But when Maxine destroys Corey's hopes at a collaboration, the young mentee seeks revenge. That revenge comes by way of a curse, drawn on dark powers, that will change more than one life.

As a (retired) theatre professional I am always interested in reading any book - especially one with a darker theme - taking place in theatres or featuring people working in the theatre (not just actors!), so this definitely appealed to me. 

What I really liked here was the mentor/mentee relationship between Corey and her professor Maxine. What I recognized was that author Caroline Macon Fleischer clearly has a background in the theatre arts as nearly all theatre professionals I've met have a mentor that encouraged them and really fostered their interest. I know I certainly did.

Maxine's talent, beyond teaching, is well presented and we can find it easy to understand why Corey, and perhaps every other theatre student, is drawn to the accomplished playwright. That Maxine gives Corey encouragement is precisely what SHOULD happen in an educational setting. 

What doesn't work particularly well for me was Corey's obsession and descent into madness (enough to bring about a curse that, like most dark magic, has a frightening effect).  Corey's obsessive personality is too obvious too soon. As evident as it was for me, I couldn't help but wonder why Maxine wasn't more wary of this girl, giving her any encouragement at all. This was the one spot that had me not quite buy in to the story.

I did, however, really like Corey's deeper darkness, and the ending hit well with me.

I liked the style or format that this book was written in; using a playscript format for some of the dialog and action was unique and clever and really reminded us that everything here was rooted in the theatre. It was, pun intended, theatrical.

I will note that my copy is a review ARC and perhaps this will be addressed before publication, but there were a few grammatical pronoun errors that I just couldn't overlook. First: "I felt like Maxine and I's words were competing in a close race ..." and then "I decided not to tell Daniel that I admitted he and I's budding relationship to Maxine."  "I's"? Seriously? Shame on the author and shame on the editor.

Looking for a good book? A Play About a Curse by Caroline Macon Fleischer, is a beautiful blend of theatre and psychological horror with a touch of the paranormal tossed in for good measure.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

3-1/2 stars

* * * * * *

A Play About a Curse

author: Caroline Macon Fleischer

publisher: CLASH Books

ISBN: 9781960988782

paperback, 216 pages

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