MARIGOLD

In this novel, a woman who speaks to angels finds herself trapped in a corporate cult.

Massage therapist Marigold Sunshine Whitaker can talk to angels. All mortals have angels, she claims—looking after them, keeping them out of trouble—but most people don’t realize it. “Let’s be real clear, though: Angels are not like these cute little baby butts flying around,” Marigold explains. “They are fierce. Like, they do not play around. And you do not want to make fun of an Angel or piss it off. Trust me.” Marigold blames her angels for landing her in prison, her punishment for assaulting a prominent local real estate agent after he tried to force her to give him a massage of a different sort. (Marigold claims the angels possessed her during the assault and then again when she threatened the judge during her trial.) When a lucky break gets her out of jail early, Marigold takes a job at the Denver Airport, hoping to save enough money to move to Ibiza. By an immense stroke of luck—or some targeted manifesting—Marigold meets and impresses Krish McKinley, the founder and CEO of the lifestyle brand Wolf&Bees. Krish invites Marigold to become his personal assistant, and it seems like a dream come true—at first. But it soon becomes clear that Krish’s company is more than a little cultlike, and even Marigold’s angels might not be influential enough to get her out of it. Clarke’s prose is sharp and funny, as here where Marigold admits the blind spots of her angelic protectors: “Angels don’t always understand everything down here on Earth. As powerful as Uriel is, he simply does not grasp the nuance of workplace dynamics or paying bills or even why you would want to heat up your Lean Cuisine in a microwave.” Marigold is a wonderfully realized creation, managing to remain sympathetic even at her most shocking and irrational moments. The book succeeds in satirizing various woo-woo aspects of modern society while inviting readers to seriously consider how and why they construct their personal belief systems.

A funny and thought-provoking supernatural tale with a memorable protagonist.