Mary & the Giant (GollanczF.) (urspr publ 1987; utgåvan 2005)

http://vox-nova.com/2009/09/24/vox-nova-at-the-library-mary-and-the-giant/ ( )

It's understandable why Dick couldn't get this published. Still, it serves as an interesting companion piece to his later work. From a biographical perspective, it's invaluable. As a piece of fiction, however, it suffers many flaws. ( )

Mary and the Giant was written by Philip K. Dick when he was in his 20s, but he could never find a publisher for it. It was published by his estate after his death. It is one of his many attempts to write “mainstream fiction,” rather than the science fiction that he was known for producing.

Mary and the Giant provides a good example of writing that proves Dick could write “normal” books, and write them well. The protagonist is a young woman, which is a change from his usual male characters. My only complaint about the story is that Dick seemed to share the view of the time period that all young women are neurotic until they have a baby and settle down. ( )