The Magnetic Girl

"The Magnetic Girl" by Richard Marsh is a novel written in the early 20th century. The story centers around Norah O'Brady, a young woman grappling with feelings of inadequacy and societal expectations as she navigates her life amid her more glamorous sisters. The narrative delves into themes of beauty, loneliness, and the complexities of love and relationships. The opening of the book introduces us to Norah O'Brady's tumultuous emotions as she reflects on a marriage proposal from Mr. Benjamin Morgan, a man labeled as "Crooked Ben" by her friends and family due to his deformity. Despite feeling rage and shame over the proposal, Norah is also compelled by curiosity about what it means to be desired, even if it is from someone that society deems unworthy. Her struggle with self-image is compounded by her family's constant scrutiny and invitations to marry, making her question her worth. As the chapter progresses, we see Norah's turmoil deepen, especially when dealing with her family’s dismissive attitudes and the emerging dynamics during an encounter with her admirers, hinting at further developments in her journey of self-discovery and emotional awakening. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Richard Marsh was the pseudonym of the English author born Richard Bernard Heldmann. A best-selling and prolific author of the late 19th century and the Edwardian period, Marsh is best known now for his supernatural thriller novel The Beetle, which was published the same year as Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897), and was initially even more popular, outselling Dracula six times over. The Beetle remained in print until 1960. Marsh produced nearly 80 volumes of fiction and numerous short stories, in genres including horror, crime, romance and humour. Many of these have been republished recently, beginning with The Beetle in 2004. Marsh's grandson Robert Aickman was a notable writer of short "strange stories".