The Four Marys

This was one of the rare cases where I let myself judge a book by its cover. The moment I saw that black and red picture- red as the blood in which we all come into the world, the blood which symbolises life and death- I knew I had to make it mine. A black clootie tree is standing ominously. A scarecrow, a seal peering through the water, a cross, a mirror, a violin, a cage, a black cat, a beautiful long-haired woman with black birds making circles above her head. These images are not accidental, they are elements of the four stories that comprise this marvellous, shockingly good collection by Jean Rafferty.

The stories are woven around two central themes, motherhood and womanhood. The way each woman views the process of being a mother, what it means to be a woman and trust and love yourself before you trust a man in your life, the struggle to fulfill expectations, her own and the others'. Is every woman programmed to become a mother? What about those of us who love children but wish to have none of our own? Why is it still considered unnatural in certain instances by narrow-minded people? Why should I, as a human being, as a woman, have to put up with the ‘‘kind advice'' of relatives to whom I owe no explanation as to why I have no inclination to get married or have a child? “I have 64 wonderful children, thank you, I don't want one waiting for me at home”. This is my usual way to shut their mouth and their poisoning opinions away.

All four stories take place in Scotland, the land of mystical haunting beauty and folklore. They are contemporary with a brief snipet of the era of Mary Stuart. All four heroines share the name Mary in different versions. Mary... a simple, beautiful name and yet so unlike any other. For those like me who believe, it carries a special meaning, profound and soothing. It is the name most mothers call in their hour of need and hope.

''It was dark down there, murky, with the salt sea stippling their skin and the hissing sound of heir flippers swishing through the water''

''Wishing Night'': Rafferty makes frequent use of folktales from her beautiful homeland. Here, we have the myth of the Selkie, and a heart-wrenching story that strongly reminded me of the marvellous 2014 animated film ‘‘Song of the Sea'' (‘‘Amhrán na Mara''). Our heroine's name is Mhairi. Also, I couldn't help thinking that another source of inspiration for the tale was the song ‘‘The Siren'' by Nightwish. ''A lady with a violin playing to the seals...'' The question that lies at the heart of the story is whether sacrifing a world, a way of life is the price to pay in order to create a family?Should we leave everything behind?

''What is the point of all the bleeding, the discomfort and mood swings if you don't have a child?''

''A Faerie Child'': Is a woman unwhole if she doesn't have a child? Our heroine seems to think it so. Mara is a young woman that faces many difficulties on her way to become a mother. It has turnt into an obsession, and as her patience grows thin, she starts placing her hopes in the clootie tree. For those unfamiliar with the practice, the clootie tree (or the clootie wells and springs) is a place of pilgrimage in Scotland and in Ireland. A custom that has its roots in the pagan age of the Celts. Strips of cloth and rugs are left on the branches as part of a healing ritual or an invocation for the coming of a child. I was very surprised to see the number of offerings on a clootie tree when I was in Scotland, actually. Rosaries, crosses, icons are given as gifts. It is a unique spectacle, beautiful in its tragedy.

''For years Mercedes was never sure whether Callas was the priestess or the goddess''

''The Diva'': Ah, Maria Callas, another great of the Marys...I always feel a surge of Greek pride when I come across her name. Allow me a small confession. This story was very special to me. You see, I grew up with another beautiful Mary in my house, my Italian grandmother. She was beautiful, like a Madonna, with blonde hair and big green eyes, and brought up her grandchild with arias. Caruso, Callas and Pavarotti were my first introduction to the world of music and culture.
Here, Mercedes is the Diva of the title, strolling around with the gowns of Tosca, Lucia, Turandot, Norma, breathing the tragedy of the greatest operas into the tragedies of everyday life. Rafferty is in top form in this story. She gives us some of the finest descriptions of sexuality, using poetic, elegant language, even when she talks about the rawest of emotions. As a sidenote, Rafferty provides the most beautiful, unique analysis of the famous aria Casta Diva from Bellini's Norma?(P.S. If you don't know this divine aria, what are you doing with your lives?)

''Do the cries of the tortured echo down the centuries? Can the dead speak?''

The Four Marys: Marina is in the midst of a PhD project about the ballad of the Four Marys, made famous by the fragile, shuttering voice of Joan Baez. According to tradition, the song has its roots in the 16th century, inspired by the Marys who were the maids of honour to Mary Stuart, the tragic Queen of Scots. The narration in the story is divided between the present and the turbulent times of Mary's reign. Marina and Mary, a maid of honour, are trying to cope with motherhood in a severe way, with being pregnant by a man who is not their husband. We see that for all our progress and emancipation speeches, we go on falling into the same traps and are condemned by society's double standards.

Jean Rafferty has created a unique collection that should be read by all, women and men. It is beautiful, raw, honest, distrurbing and haunting. A dark fairy tale of real life, a way of reflecting every woman's hopes, dreams, fears and struggles to gain the ground that belongs to her, to live a life dictated by her own terms. A book that is a hymn to the mothers and grandmothers that set bringing up strong daughters and granddaughters as their high purpose, that communicate the need to trust and love yourself above any man, above society's norms, above other people's ‘‘kind advice'' and patronization.

You will allow me to dedicate this review to my grandmother, my own beloved Mary, who taught me never to back down, never let anyone manipulate me and direct my life. Who taught me to keep my faith alive and my stubborness level up. So, Nena, this goes up to you, wherever you are now...