Author LENAYE MARSTEN, an alternative healer, an award-winning artist, and a descendant of Mary White lives in Maine with her family and a houseful of pets. Her latest book The Secret Life of Mary White: Darkness Into Light is a story of triumph and tragedy and the transmutation of darkness into light. Based on a true story from 17th century New England.
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"A poignant exploration of the intricacies of personal growth, courage, and survival…"
"Inspired by a true story from the 17th century Piscataqua region of New England, Marsten’s affecting debut follows a woman’s attempt to find refuge from her tragic reality. Young Mary White has inherited her grandmother’s gift of healing. But with the fearful and ignorant in the town linking her healing craft to witchcraft and magic, Mary needs to tread carefully. Marsten’s picture of the 17th century ignorance and cruelty includes disturbing accounts of violence, chauvinism, bigotry, and hatred for the unexplained. ...The gift of healing that runs in Mary’s maternal family helps build a foreboding sense of the inevitable as the Whites are forced to reckon with harsh realities around them, among them the family’s displacement, living in constant anxiety and fear, Mary’s struggle to come to terms with people’s distrust of her healing ability. Told in third-person omniscient voice, each chapter takes readers deep into the heart of Mary’s dilemmas as she endures distrust, suspicion, intolerance, disparity, displacement, and violence. As Mary grapples with hatred and narrow-mindedness of people and whether remaining true to her duty as a gifted healer is worth the trouble (or is even possible), the narrative tosses readers through a series of dizzying revelations. The accounts of Mary’s reckoning with her family history are poignant, and the details of her healing practices are sharply drawn and rooted in the era. Throughout, Marsten delves into themes of familial ties, friendship, love, compassion, grief, mortality, courage, resistance, and survival. A poignant and meticulously researched." - Published by Prairies Book Review, April 27, 2022
Mary’s intuitive gift could send her to the gallows. In a society where the unexplainable is seen as devil’s work, concealing her gift is not so simple when a person’s life hangs in the balance.
Mysterious events soon implicate her and things go terribly wrong. Only when Mary’s greatest nemesis can no longer conceal his own shortcomings does she have a chance.
When those in power take the matter into their own hands, her life is changed forever.
"This is by far the best, most entertaining book I've read in a long time. The author's research into the 17th century New England people, customs and locations, and her ability to put that research to paper in a way that captivated my undivided attention from beginning to end is simply outstanding. This is a book that I will keep in my bookcase to be enjoyed again and again.” —Craig
"I loved this book so much I read it twice in a row which I've never done. It's a fascinating story with great depth on top of being impossible to put down. The author is an amazing storyteller and she really brings you back to that time in history. I love that it's also a true story, making it that much more of a tangible experience. There is a beautiful healing message as it ends that is so moving and inspiring.”—Caroline
"I ran across this book quite by accident. The subject sounded interesting but I don't know that I would have read the whole thing except that I was so impressed by the obvious care with which it was written. The author has done a TON of research and also writes with apparent ease--her descriptions of the natural world are vivid and seemingly effortless. She takes the time to consistently render dialogue in a believable dialect and uses an impressive, time-appropriate vocabulary. The adventures of Mary are very interesting indeed. It's a shame more people haven't yet found this mysterious and interesting tale.” —Tina
"I loved this book! The story was beautifully written and the author's love for Mary and her healing gifts just flowed throughout. I had a hard time putting the book down and at the same time I didn't want it to end. The details of their way of life in the 17th century were fascinating. I hope there is a sequel to continue the story.” —Sue
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