When she moves in with boyfriend, Jake, Marisa has everything she wants: a lovely house in London and a handsome and kind partner who, most importantly, can give Marisa the stability she craves. She has been abandoned and abused in the past but she and Jake are perfect together and the baby they are trying for will complete the idyllic scenario. Even a visit from Jake’s intimidating mother Annabelle can’t dampen her joy.
But unexpected financial issues force them to take in a lodger. Kate is everything Marisa isn’t: slim, dark-haired, elegant. Suddenly Kate is everywhere: putting her toothbrush next to theirs, attending the same yoga class, cooking Jake’s favourite meal. Jake tells Marisa not to worry but, despite her trust in him, she can’t get the thought out of her head that Kate is trying to steal her life.
When the narrative in Magpie shifts from Marisa’s viewpoint to Kate’s, the story is turned on its head and propelled into darker, yet more poignant territory. The highs and lows of parenthood – the desperate quest for a baby, the heartache of infertility, the harsh reality of parenting, and learning to let go – are thoughtfully explored in this clever psychological thriller.
Reviewed by Melinda Woledge
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Elizabeth Day is an award-winning author and broadcaster.
Her chart-topping podcast, How To Fail With Elizabeth Day, is a celebration of all of the things that haven’t gone right. Every week, in a one-on-one interview, a guest discusses what they have learned from failure.
In 2019 it won the Rising Star Award at the British Podcast Awards. In 2020, Elizabeth was given a prestigious Harper’s Bazaar ‘Women of the Year’ award for ‘bringing solace to the nation with her sensitivity and wit’.
The podcast has been featured on multiple broadcast shows, including The Russell Howard Hour, The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show, The Sara Cox Show and The Chris Evans Breakfast Show.
It was listed as one of BBC America’s Most Buzzworthy Podcasts of 2018. In print, it has been featured in Grazia, The Times, Harper’s Bazaar, the Independent, the Guardian.
The 2019/20 How To Fail Live nationwide tour played to multiple sell-out venues across the country, including dates at The London Palladium, The National Theatre and the Southbank Centre in London, and iconic venues such as The Lowry in Salford and The Mac in Belfast.
Elizabeth has written two books off the back of the podcast: How To Fail: Everything I’ve Ever Learned From Things Going Wrong, is part-memoir, part-manifesto. It is also a Sunday Times top 5 bestseller. Failosophy: A Handbook For When Things Go Wrong was described by Alain de Botton as ‘beautiful, timely and humane.’
In 2022, she launched a second podcast with her best friend, the psychotherapist Emma Reed-Turrell, called Best Friend Therapy. The duo chat about everyday mental health challenges and therapeutic topics in an accessible and reassuring way.
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