The Marsh King's Daughter

'The Marsh KIng's Daughter' was a wonderful read. Ruthlessly consistent and startlingly original. Karen Dionne has an amazing control of the pace and tone of story. Emily Rankin's narration amplified my enjoyment, making a great book even better. I can see why 'The Marsh King's Daughter' won the Barry Award for Best Novel (2018).

'The Marsh King's Daughter' was powerful, original and accessible It was a story filled with unpleasant truths that also managed to be a compelling thriller. I found it to be a deeply sad tale. A tragedy, dressed as a thriller. It had the edge-of-the-seat tension, a constant threat of explosive violence and a growing sense of doom that I I think are the marks of a good thriller but it wasn't a story constructed show more only to thrill. It reached beyond the boundaries of the genre and became a novel about identity, choice and the ability and strengh to see things as they are.

The story is told entirely from the point of view of Helena, the Marsh King's daughter, sharing her thoughts and feelings as she hunts down her ecaped convict father in the wilds of the marsh and her memories of her childhood, seen now through an adult understanding of who and what her father was. The clarity and depth of Helena's understanding of the path of her life and the tangled mess of love, abuse, sadism and rivalry that characterise her relationship with her father are what gives the novel its emotional depth and make the final confrontation between them so powerful.

It was heartbreaking to watch Helena's childhood unfold, to see how her violent, psychopathic, narcissistic father used punishment and reward to twist Helena's love for him and her need for his respect to give him complete control over her while giving her the illusion of freedom. Raised in complete isolation, turned against her mother whom her father dominated and abused, Helena, worshipped her father like a god. ,What made these memories harder to bear was that, as an adult, Helena can see clearly what was done to her. It makes her angry. It does not make her into a victim. She accepts that she is who she is partly because of how she was raised, partly because she is her father's daughter and partly, perhaps the most important part, because she escapedher father and made a life for herself.

What makes this novel stand out is that it is the story of the Marsh King's Daughter rather than the story of the pursuit of the Marsh King. It is Helena, not her father, who dominates this novel. I found myself firmly engaged on her side from the first pages of the novel. From the beginning it was clear that Helena was more complicated than the 'hunt your dangerous fugitive father' set-up might suggest. This complexity makes her unpredictable which makes the novel more engaging. Helena is introspective and confident in her conclusions, which makes her interesting to listen to.

Helena's hunt for her father wassn't just about tracking him down. It was about her reviewing how she came to be who she is and choosing who she will become. The mix of memory, reflection and action built a picture of who Helena really is. I liked that, years after being in the modern world, her view of herself and her actions is still based on the values she formed in her childhood, even though some of those values clash with the softer world she normally lives in, That seemed real to me.

I ended the novel with a deep sense of satisfaction that came partly from the release of the adrenaline that the thriller plot generated and partly from feeling that I'd made and understood Helena and believed the choices that she'd made.

I recommend the audiobook version of 'The Marsh King's Daughter'. Emily Rankin's narration was excellent.It was just animated enough to breathe life into the text without any of the unnecessary emoting that could turn this into a melodrama show less

Helena Pelletier's life is more or less exactly what she wants: a husband and two daughters she loves deeply, a home business that keeps her busy during the days, her past a secret that she keeps hidden from everyone. Helena has worked hard for these things and she prides herself in her accomplishments, until the day her father escapes from prison and she immediately understands that her past is going to catch up to her, whether she wants it to or not. She also knows that the only way to keep her family safe and put her father back in prison is to find and deal with her father herself, since he was the one who trained her to live in the marshes of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, where he was keeping her mother captive after he had kidnapped show more her as a young girl.

With the main part of the story taking place over 24 hours "real time" with Helena tracking her father, the actual meat of the story all takes place in flashbacks as Helena thinks back on her childhood in the marshes of the UP and how her father treated her and her mother, who her father kidnapped as a young girl and made his wife. As she closes in on her father, she goes over various aspects of the only life she knew as a child, until her mother's past starts to catch up to her and Helena realizes that much of her life has been a lie perpetrated by both her father and mother and isn't exactly what they told her it was. As she grows older and finally starts to understand that even though this is the only life she's ever known, it may not be the life that either she or her mother deserves, and when she finally escapes her father's control she discovers that there is in fact an entire world she never knew about outside the marsh.

To be honest, the story of Helena's childhood is what really makes this book. Personally, I felt the entire portion of the book that is taking place in "real time" where Helena knows that she's the only one who can find her father, regardless of the large police force searching for him, and that she knows exactly where to look for him in the entire area surrounding her home and the prison he escaped from all seemed far to convenient, and only plausible in order to make this portion of the story move forward. Helena's memories of her childhood and the psychological aspects of being a child who has been raised in an extreme situation, but one that seems normal to her only because it's all that she knows, was fascinating. Her recollections of her father teaching her how to hunt and live in the wilderness, and her childhood idolization of him in this respect juxtaposed against her later feeling towards him as she starts to mature and gain some sense of adolescent independence, and her eventual discovery that her whole life has been based on lies and the kidnapping of her mother, was remarkable storytelling, and Karen Dionne delivers this entire sequence of events deftly and with sharp storytelling. While the "real time" story requires quite a hefty amount of suspension of disbelief, the background story well makes up for this and creates a truly mesmerizing and atmospheric story that will keep you turning the page for more. show less

The Marsh King's Daughter is a wilderness "Room," but uniquely its own. This book kept me riveted to its story, terrified and intrigued. Helena, particularly as a child, is a well-drawn character, and an unforgettable one. I really loved this book and won't hesitate to recommend it.

Wow, wow, wow. I was riveted by this book, completely glued to the pages! THE MARSH KING’S DAUGHTER was more than just gripping psychological suspense; it was also a compelling blend of literary fiction and unique coming of age story.

This book tells the unusual life story of Helena Pelletier. She’s a wife, mother, and small business owner, but at one time her life was very strange, and growing up she didn’t realize it. The father whom she adored was actually a monster, a cruel psychopath who kidnapped her mother when she was a teenager. The three of them lived in an isolated cabin in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, completely cutoff from the rest of the world, until Helena was twelve years old. Now, after spending many years in show more prison, her father has escaped, and the only person cunning and skilled enough to track such as man is Helena herself.

Helena’s story alternates between the present as she hunts for her father, and the past when they lived alone in the marshlands. Moving between the two time periods bumped up the suspense. I was equally fascinated by both! As the reader, you already know that Helena will be separated from her father, but how? What was their life like before she knew the truth? What was it like for Helena to join the “real world,” and eventually be compelled to hunt him after his escape? My need for these answers made this a read-in-one-sitting situation!

THE MARSH KING’S DAUGHTER is a beautifully written book and a nail-biter at the same time. I loved it. Helena, her mother, and their haunting story will stick with me for a long time. Highly recommended.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book through Penguin’s First to Read Program in exchange for an honest review. show less

Warning. This review contains one minor spoiler not mentioned on the book jacket summary.
A woman is kidnapped as a very young girl and taken to live in isolation as the wife of the abductor. She eventually gives birth to a daughter, Helena, who grows up in the marsh being trained by her dad in all kinds of wilderness survival including tracking, what plants are edible wild, and the killing of game through traps, knife and rifles. His parenting is harsh, cruel and often both psychologically and physically abusive, but Helena just accepts it all as normal. She knows her dad and when she defies him, like the time she refuses to shoot a wolf, she is well aware that there will be severe consequences for her disobedience but rebels anyway. show more Helena’s mom helps her when she can but can’t risk the wrath of her husband because everyone knows he would not hesitate to kill her.
Mom and daughter have an opportunity for escape (one of my favourite parts of the book) which is brilliantly written. I swear I was holding my breath for several pages. They do escape and when the book begins Helena is now a grown woman with a husband and two young daughters who know nothing of her harsh wilderness upbringing. She hears on the radio that The Marsh King has killed two guards and escaped from prison. She listens to the details of the futile chase for the escaped convict and realizes that the only person who has a reasonable hope of tracking and capturing him is her. She knows she has to hunt her dad and do whatever is necessary to keep her family safe. The book alternates between flashbacks to her young life growing up in the marsh and present time as she begins to track her dad.
The Marsh King’s Daughter is hands down my favourite book read in 2021 so far. I loved the fierce determination of Helena. At one point she’s injured and does something she knows will REALLY hurt just because it’s the only option she has. I was awestruck and cheering her on the whole time. This is definitely not a book for those with delicate reading tastes who are upset by violence. If you can’t watch Rambo movies (Sylvester Stallone)… you probably wouldn’t enjoy this either. However I LOVED her capabilities and how she applied her skills when needed and just did what she needed to do to survive. Plus, there’s a dog and those who know me know that’s pretty much a guaranteed like.
In case I haven’t been crystal clear… I highly recommend this if you’re looking for an original psychological thriller. show less

Warning: Be prepared to lose all track of time immersing yourself in this exceptional read! Author, Karen Dionne took me on a journey. Instantly, I shared a connection with Helena and her father aka "The Marsh King". This book was equally balanced between the past and the present. The flow from the different time lines was seamless.

What drew me towards Helena is that she showcased both love and hate for her father. Yet, as a reader, I slowly got to experience each emotion and how it affected Helena as she grew up. She is a fighter. She has her father's spirit. So, it only made sense that she would be the one to face off in a battle of the hunter and the hunted with her father. As the story progressed, I came to see Helena's father as a show more person and not just a monster. Thus, I came to appreciate their story more then just the game. I loved everything about this book from the beginning, middle, and ending. show less

The Marsh King’s Daughter by Karen Dionne is a 2017 G.P. Putnam's Sons publication.

Hypnotizing, thrilling, tense, and absolutely riveting!!

I receive many emails from publishers and publicist promoting the latest book releases, but this book kept cropping up across different platforms, which piqued my interest. Then I noticed the rave reviews on Goodreads from trusted friends, and knew I had to see what all the excitement was about.

Although I was eager to start the book, and carefully read the synopsis, I couldn’t have possibly imagined the atmospheric pilgrimage, and adventure I found myself guided through.

The upper peninsula is the perfect setting for this story, which is as much about survival in the wilderness as it is about show more the psychological abuse, and crimes committed by Jacob Holbrook.

Helena was born into captivity, as her mother was kidnapped at the age of fourteen by Jacob, and forced to live way off the grid, in the marshland. Helena does not know her life is abnormal and sees Jacob has her father, not a monster who is holding them hostage. In fact, she seems to share a very special bond with the man, preferring him over her mother.

When, at the age of twelve, Helena and her mother are rescued, and Jacob is sent to prison. Helena has a very hard time adjusting to civilization, but eventually marries and has two children. However, she keeps her past a secret from her family, until one day her worst fears are realized when Jacob escapes from prison, killing two guards in the process.

Knowing she is the only person who can find him, Helena sets off in search of her father, geared with her special knowledge of how Jacob thinks. She bravely enters a ‘deadliest game’ type of situation with her three- legged dog as her only ally, barreling toward the ultimate showdown with her father, a man she both loves and hates.

It will be survival of the fittest in an unbelievable and utterly absorbing mind game that will keep you right on the edge of your seat from start to finish.

As Helena searches for her father, the story flashes back to her childhood, which goes into vivid detail about how her ‘family’ survived in the marshes, the skills her father taught her, and the psychological hold her father has over her.

The author uses excerpts from the Hans Christian Anderson’s version of ‘The Marsh King’s Daughter’ as a prelude to each chapter, which contains a dose of symbolism that holds poignant meanings to the events taking place in the story.

Her childhood is so deeply ingrained in her consciousness, loving the skills her father taught her and the stories he told her as a child, that she has a very hard time separating the monster from the father, she quite clearly loves. But, we also know it’s a cat and mouse game and only one of them will walk away victorious.

The struggle is physical, it’s emotional, it’s mental, and it’s psychological. The beautiful nature is juxtaposed against the brutality of survival, which is often hard to digest. There are tense scenes of abuse, as well as cruelty to animals, and vivid hunting descriptions that are very disturbing and are difficult passages to read.

Helena is a sympathetic character, which examines the long lasting effects of her isolation, the abuse she didn’t really understand was abuse at the time, and the struggle to move forward, is harrowing, thought provoking, and sad, but she showcases an incredible amount of courage and tenacity, determined to do whatever it takes to save herself and her family.

The author did an amazing job with this stark, realistic, fast paced thriller, combining elements of adventure with deep and profound emotional complexities, making Helena a heroine you will not soon forget. show less