Has anyone else ever read this book, and if so what are your feelings about it?
The book starts with Susan, a bored housewife who has given up on herself and life in general. She remembers when she was younger creating imaginative stories... and decides to take up that practice again to help her get through the monotony of her days.
In her mind she creates Marianella, the feisty maid and the unstoppable Lady Amalia. These two characters show Susan a world on the brink of darkness, an evil that is creeping slowly onwards consuming the world one bit at a time. As Susan tunes in to visit the lives of these two imaginary women, Susan starts to see life in new ways. Susan is not powerless, her life is her story, and she can be the heroine of it instead of a background character.
The novel flips between the three of them. Susan's Interior Life becomes more realistic with Susan lending the other two women her understanding and compassion... and the other two giving Susan their support... and a verbal spanking when she needs it. Slowly life comes into focus for all three of them, but can they win their own happy endings?