A collection of articles, essays, and interviews offering a glimpse into the lives of authors of memoir and creative nonfiction. I use a variety of interview formats to help writers uniquely and reflectively discuss their lives and their projects.
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Book Review & Portrait of the Author
Elish Mulholland 's novels are cinematically rendered and set within an intriguing psychological landscape. In her novel, A Personal Assassin she writes about Tudor England and her prose casts the reader into the past through sensory and visceral prose.
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Mulholand describes her heroine Edony entering the queen's court:
"Wrenching the embossed handle, I fling the door open, to the sound of chattering voices and the sound of a lute being lazily played over the hubbub. I stand stock-still, surprise radiating throughout me. Instead of an ambush I am met with a painted sea of faces. The lively throng of courtiers laugh, joke, and dance. A positive Babylon of biblical proportions meets me, and part of me likes it."
From here the reader is immersed in the world of 1500 England, as Edony fulfills her secret mission, seemingly blithe but inherently cunning. She recognizes her tools in deception: her femininity, intelligence, and bravery.
"Mystery will be my weaponry. My sexuality my trump card."
Mulholland's love of the period comes through in every page of the novel. Her mastery of suspense and intrigue keeps the reader rapt. Yet the personal assassin is as much a coming of age story as a historical suspense novel. Falling victim to her burgeoning passion we see vulnerable Edony fall hopelessly into love for the first time. The events that follow sweep the protagonist forward, transforming her into a hero more often portrayed in masculine stereotypes of heroes endowed with physical prowess and rational ingenuity. As Edony assumes power over her destiny, reason trumps fancy and enhances the dangerous atmosphere.
Mulholland's story is well crafted, uncannily immediate, and true to the period. Her choice to manipulate expected gender roles successfully creates a feminist interpretation that is refreshing and inspiring. She answers "what if" such a woman, a character were faced with the same circumstances as the traditional male hero.
I thoroughly enjoyed A Personal Assassin. I was also stunned and awed when I found out that Mulholland was seventeen when she wrote the novel. She is a true prodigy and I look forward to reading more of her work.
