Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia
Review by Rebecca Hammill
Mad Mabel starts out as a laugh-out-loud, witty and fun read. For the first few pages, this lightheartedness will make you question if this is a domestic drama with some mystery and suspense thrown in, or a bona-fide crime story? As the plot deepens, the reader is taken to different levels of exploration of themes about lifelong friendship, human connection and the vulnerability of both. The novel also explores the subject of being marginalised, either as a single unmarried mother, a housewife of the 1950’s or as the youngest person convicted of murder in Australia.
Mad Mabel is set in urban Melbourne, in a cul-de sac where you can feel the shared intimacy of terraced-city living within the melting pot of eclectic and loveable neighbours – from the youngest neighbour, six year old Persephone to the reclusive Vietnamese couple, Mr and Mrs Nguyen – and everyone in between. With strong character development, we are quickly taken into a candid look into the human experience and how our past shapes our future.
We meet Mad Mabel, Elsie Fitzpatrick (real name Mabel Waller), as a slightly irascible octogenarian of 81 years of age. As the main protagonist, the reader falls in love with Elsie’s spunk and wit. Elsie is a flawed character but also relatable. The story flips between the present day and the past but previous events from Elsie’s childhood reluctantly propel Elsie back into the media limelight of present day. Elsie has tried to live separately from her past for well over seven decades, making the reader want to read more about this persistent eclipse that has dimmed Elsie’s light which slowly and endearingly builds the suspense.
As the reader navigates the past with Mabel, we feel empathy for a young child growing up in the 1950’s with disinterested, wealthy parents. Growing up in an environment with an insensitive father and an alcoholic mother, makes Mabel an easy target for their own emotional residue and weakness. It’s in this environment that the reader becomes gradually aware of a younger sibling that is not openly talked about, building the mystery that Mabel may have had something to do with her untimely demise at 12 months of age. This is a well-placed side story, making you wonder if Mabel was indeed responsible for the death of her baby sister. Constantly creating suspicion keeps the reader captivated and second guessing. We start to question who is Mabel? Is her moniker ‘Mad Mabel’, in fact legitimate? It becomes clearer at this point, that there is a crime story developing.
This may not be your twisty, hard hitting thriller or fast-paced crime but it’s a book that is well-written, engaging and unputdownable. There is a plot which is compelling and easy to follow, with twists and turns that provide emotional punch. The themes of love, belonging and connection are not only touching but a reminder of what many of us lack today in an increasingly screen-centred reality. Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth is a guaranteed good read – well suited for a slow Sunday morning, a beach holiday or a long plane trip. The writing style is fresh, upbeat and engaging. The crisp apple green and baby pink colours on the cover, are a subtle acknowledgement to Mabel’s hospital stay as a child where her room was decorated in green and pink. If nothing else, do judge this book by its cover – it’s worth it.
Publisher’s blurb
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Soulmate and Darling Girls comes the story of Mad Mabel. They called it murder. She called it justice.
In 1959, at just fifteen years of age, Mabel Waller became the youngest Australian in history to be convicted of murder.
In 2025, on a quiet Melbourne lane, an elderly man is found dead by his neighbour, 81-year-old Elsie Fitzpatrick. No one suspects any foul play.
Until they discover Elsie’s past.
In the 1950s, her name was not Elsie. It was Mabel.
She is known around the world as Mad Mabel. But is she mad? More importantly, is she guilty?
When the police open a new investigation and the media descend upon her, the elderly Mabel decides it’s time to set the record straight.
In a world first, at the age of 81, Mabel Waller is speaking.
New York Times bestselling author Sally Hepworth is at her finest in this twisty, compulsive thriller of friendship, family and murder. Or is it justice . . . ?