American Mary

By Alexandra Naughton

Book Overview

"Naughton is clearly more of a conceptual writer, one who at once challenges and entertains. Her characters are reflections of systems-systems of oppression, as well as systems of support. She can be playful and deeply serious and-by the last pages of American Mary, as the book takes on a monologue quality-very powerful. In the end, Naughton does what Alt Lit could not: be avant-garde not only in form, but politics as well." -Eric Nguyen, Heavy Feather Review

"Told almost entirely through lyrical fragments and beautifully-observed scenes, Alexandra Naughton's American Mary is the latest incarnation of the Great American Novella, at once unsettling and moving."-Michael Kimball, author of Us

"Alexandra Naughton writes from the heart. She plays words like introspective notes, depth sounding their way into a celebratory melancholic mix tape of emotions made for you by your best friend you never knew until now. I have seen her weather storms and be humbled by triumphs, always pushing the ceiling for more. This is her in her glitch goth pastel shadowing, illuminating the sacrificial bargains we all make alone, writing through that heart that she has pulled out of her chest still beating, inviting us to take a closer look at how it all works together."-A. Razor, editor of Punk Hostage Press

"In American Mary, Alexandra Naughton's narrator tells us 'You can get used to anything if you don't care about anything.' This story is one of brave endurance in the face of loneliness and mediocrity. Naughton 'fail Mary' weaves searing insights among instances of the depersonalization of being marketed as 'a capitalist body.' Naughton's narrator fights against the comfortable numbness we all feel-she wants to be loved, she wants to matter, she desperately wants to be truly present in each and every moment. Alexandra Naughton's storytelling is exquisite. She will make you care. All hail, American Mary, full of grace."-Carleen Tibbetts, author of to exosk(elle), the last sugar

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0FBGRPDYF
• ISBN13: 9798342237277
• Release Date: May 2025
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 328 Pages
• Weight: 0.84 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.5" x 8.5"