By Satu Sarkas-Bosman
The year is 1926; young Mazelle Washington lives in Florida with her family and a headful of dreams. She is used to performing with her family, however bright lights and fame prove to be incredibly elusive. Making it big in Hollywood is nigh impossible at the best of times, never mind for a young black girl from a poor family.
Mazelle has heard the fable of a Wishing Pool that will grant your heart’s deepest desire and is determined to find its location. Perseverance and a desire for better things drives her to search until the pool appears and a wish to have a best friend forever is whispered. Fortune works in mysterious ways, not granting the kind of a friend she expected, but one in the shape of a filthy, matted dog. It does not take long for Mazelle to realise that this is no ordinary mutt, but a hound with an extraordinary ability to follow her commands and perform.
This is where the story truly starts; suddenly Mazelle and Scout the Wonder Dog are on their way to stardom and it looks like all of her wishes may come true. You, as a reader, feel the chasm between what Mazelle’s act can offer and the obstacles in her way. Determined mother, sorrowful father, siblings trying to find their way, a not quite trustworthy agent, abusive aunt, hard grind of showbusiness and forever pervasive racism are all weaved into a tale you sense.
The second strand of this story is of Johnny Washington, Mazelle’s grandson and his family. He is bitterly disappointed after a major project he was rather relying on falls through. He takes his wife and two daughters to Mazywood, a retreat he inherited from her grandmother, despite his feelings of apprehension. The story takes a terrifying turn once a creature, stalking the retreat, makes its appearance, disrupting the family holiday.
Tananarive Due masterfully shows us the complexities of trying to make it, surviving the brutal demands of show business and negotiating the limitations bigotry presents. Mazelle, even at the height of her fame, is never truly independent and in charge of her own future. Decades later, her grandson still faces many of the same obstacles his grandmother was so familiar with, finding his own dreams hanging by a thread. The beast, presenting a threat to Johnny and his family, is both real and allegorical.
The story flows in a mesmerising way, the author succeeds in telling a tale of literal terror, a creature stalking the innocent and the cruelty of an enterprise where you are only as good as your last.
Mayzwood by Tananative Due is available in various formats now from Titan Books.
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