Maybe Marilyn
Sent to a Hollywood nursing home to interview its residents, Tom Hogan thinks he is on a dead-end assignment until a retired Los Angeles coroner lets slip that he helped Marilyn Monroe fake her death. If true, Tom could have the story of a lifetime. Following a lead to Cape Cod, he meets a beguiling woman named Nell, who might be related to Monroe. As he becomes more convinced that he is on to something, his feelings for Nell also deepen. If he can verify the story, does he have the right to tell it? And would making it public be worth the potential fallout?
Lois Cahall’s novel has a fantastic premise. What fan hasn’t daydreamed about what Monroe’s life would have been like if she hadn’t died so young? But the story never fulfills its potential. Rather than allowing Monroe to express her motivations for escaping her life in 1962 or portraying her experiences since then, the reader gets summaries from other characters. Potential readers should also note that despite focusing on a historical figure, it is not historical fiction. Set in 2019, it is more an exploration of journalistic integrity and a modern feminist analysis of the icon than a reimagining of her life.
The fascination with Monroe has never waned, but it is sure to be high this year as June 1st marked what would have been her 100th birthday. Readers wanting historical fiction featuring Monroe should check out Eliza Knight and Denny S. Bryce’s excellent exploration of the complex friendship between Monroe and Ella Fitzgerald in Can’t We Be Friends, or Tatiana de Rosnay’s terrific novel Blonde Dust set during the filming of the actress’ final completed movie, The Misfits.
