"[1] The Guardian noted, "The question in Headley's ambitious novel is why we need to cast anyone as a monster at all. Willa, Dylan's mother, is introduced. "The Mere Wife by Maria Dahvana Headley review – a modern Beowulf", "World Fantasy Awards℠ 2019 | World Fantasy Convention", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Mere_Wife&oldid=999298747, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 9 January 2021, at 13:40. and fantasy, steps into the adult world with this spot-on reimagining of a classic of Old English literature. She hides inside the mountain behind it, which has an abandoned train station and a lake; people think it is haunted. The gated community still has its back open to the mountain. There’s a blurry streak of light, coming from the old skylight, a portal to the world outside. Who would put a crazy neon ram’s-head-wolf-thing on the cover of a book—and then, naturally, have the type sprout fangs and fur too!—and think it would look anything but bonkers? The cave’s walls are crumbling now, and on top of the stone the tiles are cracking, but the station remains: ticket booth, wooden benches, newspaper racks, china teacups, stained-glass windows facing outward into earthworms, and crystal chandeliers draped in cobwebs. Many of the themes discussed relate to PTSD, family drama and infidelity, and violence. eNotes critical analyses help you gain a deeper understanding of The Country Wife so you can excel on your essay or test. An adaptation of a traditional Karen Hill tribe folk tale about the love triangle between the elephant, the mahout and the wife… She flits between mommy groups, playdates, cocktail hour, and dinner parties, always with her son, Dylan, in tow. On her back, there are two guns and a pack of provisions. There are collective chapters from the POV of the natural world as well—the mountain, the mere, the animals and ghosts of the place, as well as a chapter from the POV of a pack of police dogs. He is acclaimed as a hero and Willa marries Ben. We’re an old thing made of everything else, and we’ve been waiting here a long time. She knows she is a member of the marines. It’s furious without being terrifically graphic, which I appreciate. There is both intimacy and power behind this delicate balance of light and darkness. THE MERE WIFE By Maria Dahvana Headley 308 pp. The station was a showpiece before it wasn’t. The Mere Wife is a book by Maria Dahvana Headley that is a retelling of Beowulf set in 21st-century America. Despite his mother's instructions, as Gren grows older he wishes to meet the people in Herot and becomes friends with Dylan, a young boy in the town. The following is from Maria Dahvana Headley's novel, The Mere Wife.In a modern retelling of Beowulf set in suburban America, two mothers—one a housewife, the other a battle-hardened veteran—fight to protect those they love. A New Statesman book of the year New York Times bestselling author Maria Dahvana Headley's fierce, feminist retelling of the classic tale of Beowulf. . New York Times bestselling author Maria Dahvana Headley presents a modern retelling of the literary classic Beowulf, set in American suburbia as two mothers—a housewife and a battle-hardened veteran—fight to protect those they love in The Mere Wife. We’re thrilled to reveal the cover and share an excerpt from Maria Dahvana Headley’s upcoming novel The Mere Wife. The Mere Wife reimagines Beowulf by setting it in a suburban landscape of intense economic disparity . I mean, this is a book full of choral speaking. Mere Wife (2008) Plot. 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