Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder by Kerryn Mayne

Lenny Marks has mastered the art of forgetting. For the past twenty years, she has successfully avoided thinking about the day her mother abandoned her, though her stepfather's haunting words, "You did this," still linger. Now 37, Lenny clings to comfort and routine and order, steering clear of the messiness and chaos of happiness and relationships. A teacher at a local primary school, Lenny spends her evenings playing Scrabble with an imaginary roommate, comfort-watching Friends reruns, and rearranging her 36 copies of The Hobbit. Lenny’s recent goal to 'get a life' aims more at establishing a good enough façade to please her foster mom rather than actually extending herself beyond what is familiar. But when an unexpected letter from the Adult Parole Board arrives, her carefully constructed world begins to crumble, forcing her to confront long-buried memories.

Lenny is a delightful character — one of those quirky oddballs who easily charms the reader. Mayne has written a heartwarming story that is a balance of endearing moments in Lenny’s everyday life and stark flashbacks as she begins recalling her repressed past. Mayne delivers her main character with depth and heart, as well as rounding out the book with a solid set of secondary and tertiary characters who add that level of playful realism without ever pushing the believability too far. I’d love to see what’s next for this Australian author.

I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This affected neither my opinion of the book nor the content of my review.