Marley: A Novel
Marley was not dead, to begin with. This novel undoes the famous first line of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, presenting the story of Ebenezer Scrooge’s partner, Jacob Marley. Clinch did a similar turn on another classic in imagining the story of Huckleberry Finn’s father, but in this case, he has so undone the known story that it may leave fans of the original cold.
When Scrooge and Marley meet as students at a school with the properly Dickensian name of Drabb Academy, Marley is already a practiced forger who uses his skill to defraud his gullible new acquaintance while also cultivating his friendship. The original presented the two as partners and the epitome of heartless businessmen, but Marley is the main villain here, and his activities are beyond that of the greedy capitalist. Donning disguises and shuffling various shell companies, he launders money from the clandestine slave trade, shakes down brothels, and eventually even hires a murderer to off a rival.
Characters who are comfortably and necessarily dead in A Christmas Carol are alive and breathing in this version. Scrooge’s mother and Fan still live, and there is no current estrangement from his family. We learn of Scrooge’s failed love, but in this case it is principle rather than callousness that creates a rift between them, as Scrooge silently dedicates his life to combating an evil Marley has done.
There are a few rustlings that the reader for a moment may think are listening spirits, but no ghosts materialize. There’s no sense that this is the prequel to Dickens’ famous story. Instead it is an alternative which renders the intervention of the spirits unnecessary, for Scrooge has redeemed himself and selflessly given himself over to righting a wrong. This character Marley, though, is more than due for a visit.
