Book Review: The Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone by Audrey Burges

My Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐

(Plot : 3.75 ⭐; Audio Narration: 4.5⭐)

“Once upon a time, there was a house.”

Thirty-four-year-old Myra Malone has rarely ventured out of her home in Arizona ever since a tragic car accident resulted in the loss of her beloved step-grandmother Trixie and left her permanently scarred when she was just five years old. The only bright spot in Myra’s reclusive life is her devotion to The Mansion, an antique dollhouse ( with no dolls) she inherited from Trixie. Myra spends most of her time in her attic tending to her “minuscule mansion”, decorating ad redecorating the rooms, and fashioning new furniture and other bit san pieces as she feels. But The Mansion seems to have a mind of its home and often rejects her upgrades –phenomena for which Myra has no explanation and a fact that she keeps to herself. She documents her work on her Mansion along with pictures of the rooms in her blog, “The Miniscule Mansion of Myra Malone”, which she started on the persuasion of her best and only friend, Gwen. Her blog has garnered a tremendous following with fans writing to her and sending her potential additions to the rooms. When Rutherford Alexander Rakes III, “Alex”, heir to his affluent family’s furniture business, comes across her blog he is taken aback when he sees that the rooms of the mansion and some of the décor are similar to the house he now lives in – an old house that belonged to his paternal grandmother Willa’s side of the family complete with a legacy about which Alex has more questions than answers. Alex reaches out to Myra and as they begin to correspond, the mystery behind Myra’s Mansion and Alex’s family legacy is slowly unraveled which also brings about a positive change in both of their lives.

With its absorbing plot and elements of intrigue and magical realism, The Miniscule Mansion of Myra Malone by Audrey Burges is an enchanting story that touches upon themes of loneliness, friendship, love and family among others. The author touches upon sensitive topics such as grief, isolation, anxiety and PTSD with much compassion. While there are episodes of deep pain and sorrow in this story, we also have heartwarming moments of friendship, love and personal growth peppered with splashes of humor interspersed throughout the novel, the author does a remarkable job of weaving the multiple timelines and perspectives into an immersive narrative. Myra is an endearing protagonist, though I did find her a tad immature at times, and I found Willa to be an intriguing character. Though this is a relatively slow-paced novel, at no point did I lose interest. The connection between Alex and Myra is not completely unpredictable but I did like how the story developed. I paired my reading with the wonderful audio narration by Christine Lakin, which made this story come to life.