A little bit of horror, a little bit of satire, and alot of fun, Dr. Edith Vane and the Hares of Crawley Hall by Suzette Mayr is a wonderful read for those looking for something unique. And university lit professors-they will guaranteed love this novel, but let me explain a bit further…
Edith is a single woman stumbling through life. She’s got a steady job as a university prof, which is more than many people, but her students and coworkers either ignore her, or outright disrespect her. She’s had a few girlfriends, but can’t seem to hold down an actual relationship; even her over-the-phone therapist seems desperate to distance herself from Edith. If that weren’t enough, Edith’s upcoming (and only) book seems at risk of not being published, and she’s starting to see some unexplainable things in her faculty building, Crawley Hall. And why are there so many damn rabbits everywhere she looks?
Author Suzette Mayr
This is a really difficult book to describe because there are so many different genres at play here. There is a subtle element of magical realism, but it suits the literary quality of the book perfectly because it creates the ‘haunted’ atmosphere of the plot. There is humour in the character of Edith and the situations she finds herself in, as well as the writing. A perfect example of how funny it is:
“Only Simon’s finished the book, bless his heart…she’s tempted to ask him to just settle himself at the front of the classroom and teach while she leaves for a coffee and a frustrated weep. She stands, lumpy and undercooked, at her side of the classroom” (p. 137).Â
What makes this book even funnier is that it’s a satirical look at academic life in general, and seeing as the author is herself a professor, it’s obvious she doesn’t herself too seriously, which I seriously appreciate in a writer. There’s even a line in which she makes fun of creative writers directly, and having worked with many authors throughout my career, I got a real kick out of this!
Mayr is not only a professor, but she’s also a Calgarian, so I believe the fictional setting of the ‘University of Inivea’ is actually the University of Calgary, which I happened to work at for a a few years (and where she is currently a professor). Because of this I recognized quite a few things she references, including a campaign that she ceaselessly (and quite rightly mocks), which was being rolled out when I was an employee. All Calgarians will also recognize the strange way the hares infiltrate their way into the story; in the plot and even on the pages! I have no idea why, but there are a ton of rabbits in this city, and they are quite literally everywhere on the university campus, so although it may seem like Edith is really losing her marbles towards the end, I had a funny feeling those hares weren’t only in her imagination. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction, and quite oftentimes, it’s just as entertaining. Mayr has successfully mined many of the quirky qualities of life into a compulsively readable book, which I can happily recommend to anyone looking for something a little different.
What an original sounding book – I’m already intrigued by someone who is so unpopular even her counsellor wants to keep her distance!
it is extremely unique!!!
Ha! I was thinking that I’d seen a review of this somewhere before and then realised it’s one of the ones you talked about on the radio, isn’t it? I’m still intrigued by those rabbits…
yes! this was my radio review too 🙂
I definitely want to read this one!
I think you’d really like it-and gosh it is funny!
The interesting thing that stands out to me is when I was in a creative writing program, we were always told the biggest sin was to write about writing or teaching. Basically, it reeks of ego and lack of creativity. However, over the years I’ve read many books about writers and teaching that I’ve totally loved! Maybe the point is to avoid writing about writers or teaching if it’s really just you and disguise because you can’t come up with anything else on your own.
I totally disagree with that ‘sin’-I really enjoy reading about that sort of thing, so it doesn’t surprise me that you do too!
I think it’s a “rule” because our professor are academics and don’t want to read about it, but the general public doesn’t see that side of college. That part where you’re like, “Should I walk out, strangle something, or keep talking about good rhetoric?”
hahaha
Unique ✌
This one made me lauigh and flinch in equal sums. Have you read any of her other books, or was this your introduction? Not that I think there is any GOOD place to begin with her stuff. She’s so weird (said in a but-I-love-weird way). 🙂
I know what you mean! I read Monoceros when it came out, but don’t remember a thing about it LOL