Review: Marymae and the Nightmare Man by A. M. Freeman

When nightmares become real, there's only one thing to do. Face them head on!

Marymae has problems. No one believes that her imaginary friend is real. Then he goes missing and it is up to her to find him, because there are no others to take up the search.

Along the way Marymae realizes that a dark malaise is spreading through the forest of make-believe. With help from the denizens of the world of imagination, she sets out to save not only her friend, but her family and the rest of the world as well. For if the plane of make-believe falls, the real world won’t be far behind!

The story

Living with her family on the edge of the forest of make-believe means that Marymae and the other children in her neighborhood are often warned away from the river that separates the real world from the fictional one. Marymae, however, is a braver girl than most. Every afternoon she goes to her favorite spot on the riverbank, sits down, and eats her popsicle. The other children are too afraid to go so close to the woods, so her practice is a rather lonely one.

But one day a bug boy and denizen of make-believe, Waldo, joins her by the riverside. Marymae hands him a popsicle and a strong friendship is born. For quite some time the two spend every afternoon playing by the riverside after eating popsicles together…

…until the day that Waldo mysteriously misses their playdate.

Initially, Marymae thinks nothing of it. But when the day turns to a week and nightmares of Waldo running while looking over his shoulder in terror plague her, she is slowly let to the conviction that something is wrong. She also comes to understand that something has to be done; someone has to rescue Waldo.

But no one – not even her family – believes that Waldo is real. She and the other children are also forbidden to cross the river or enter the woods. It is this very ban which has led to no one believing that Waldo is real in the first place.

Eventually, Marymae decides there is only one thing left to do. She will have to cross the river, brave the dangers of the woods, find her friend, and save the day. There is no one else who can do it but her.

What the girl does not know is that something in the woods desperately wants her to come to it so that she may be transformed from the bright, brave girl she is into something else entirely. If she is to rescue her friend and protect the world, Marymae will have to rely on more than herself to do it. She will have to reach for the light in her soul to defend everything she holds dear – or see the universe fall into utter darkness!

The characters

In sharp contrast to most female leads of the current era, Marymae is a charming heroine. The primary color she wears is pink, she has no problem playing the damsel-in-distress if that will rouse the courage of those who have been rendered timid, she sings, and she prays. Fierce as any young child determined to do the right thing, she never retreats to temper tantrums to get her way, though she is more than willing to tell off those who are misbehaving. She is a refreshing reminder that a girl embracing her femininity gives her a power all her own.

Waldo is a decidedly loyal friend. Filling the role of sidekick to Marymae, he nevertheless has opportunities to prove his mettle. Whether entering battle or standing guard over others, he supports his friend without having his masculinity compromised or his character demoted. A twist on the modern trope of the bumbling best friend, Waldo is a good return to the esquire archetype. He may not be the heroine’s knight in shining armor, but he’s a pageboy with heart and courage nonetheless.

Finally, there is the Nightmare Man himself. Neither a cackling villain nor a “misunderstood” one, there is more depth and strength in him than first meets the eye. Even he does not quite recognize who and what he is anymore, making way for an antagonist greater than himself to appear. Without the titular Nightmare Man, the book would not be half as much fun as it is.

The world

The world takes its cue from The Wizard of Oz, every Disney princess movie in existence, then adds some elements from Rise of the Guardians for its foundations without copying any of the above. Throw in some Anastasia and Dora the Explorer for seasoning, along with Ludwig Bemelmans’ Madeleine and the result is a story world richer than anything written in at least three decades. Marymae and the Nightmare Man is a worthy heir to all of the above tales and feels like a continuation of their type of storytelling.

The politics

There are none. If this book had any politics within the narrative at all, they would ruin it completely.

Content warning

None. This is a story for everyone regardless of age. You could read it to an unborn baby and the child would be the better for it.

Who is it for?

Fairy tale lovers, children of all ages, and anyone who wants a refreshingly feminine heroine they can cheer on. Those searching for a feminine model to emulate will find Marymae and the Nightmare Man inspiring as well as fun, while young readers will doubtless head outside in search of their own forest of make-believe. Anyone who already has such a forest nearby will probably recognize at least a few of the denizens in this book, allowing them to say hello to old friends.

Why read it?

It’s a sweet story that would make a great gift for birthdays, holidays, or just because you want to give someone something they will enjoy for years to come. There aren’t enough of those types of gifts to go around as matters stand. Do you need another reason to purchase Marymae and the Nightmare Man?