An underlying thread to the story of Almost Invincible is Mary’s damaging relationship with her stepsister, Claire, an unwelcome third in her relationship with Shelley. Reading Mary’s plea, in her fifties, not to be left alone with her stepsister, sparked my curiosity and snowballed into a full-blown obsession and four years research.
It made me want to tell Mary’s story, because, although there is a huge amount of extant information, I found it hard to get a clear picture of the real Mary as a teenage rebel, as a grieving mother as a determined author and in her relationship with Shelley. Because her life is so full of interesting people and their complications, it is hard to cut through to what really drove her.
This book is the outcome, and none of the characters seemed to emerge quite as expected.
The research has been extensive and the book is factually based, but tries to fill in the emotions, dialogues and some of the mysteries surrounding her life.
I have an honours degree in Sociology with a major in Literature. I also have a Trinity College London Licentiate in Effective Communication. My day job is as a social and market researcher. I am English but live in Sydney, Australia.
Mary Shelley 