Triad is a funny little book that was, frankly, a bit of a pain in the ass to dig up. Mary Leader herself only seems to have published one other book, Salem's Children, and it appears to be a children's book (and very overpriced). Don't get me wrong: Leader is an enjoyable writer, but because she didn't write much and wasn't a regular on the bestseller list, her writing is hard to find, which makes the cost/effort of finding Triad outweigh the reward.
So why read some pretty much forgotten book?
Because of a fun little bit of history: Triad was the book Stevie Nicks picked up in an airport, I believe, and where she got the name that she would make famous with the song 'Rhiannon.' This is, apparently, the same reason most people read it and it drives up the increasing price as copies get more worn out and less available.
Unfortunately, however, this background is about all that stands out about the book.
It's not bad, nor is it great. It's got a cool little emblem/cover and the woman/bird mixture has a look that alludes, arguably, to the more supernatural elements in the plot. The plot itself is a bit of a smorgasbord of psychology, mystery, and the supernatural and it's up to you whether the ending is intentionally ambiguous or just a bit unsatisfactory.
We are told the story of Branwen, who has moved into an old mansion near Lake Michigan with her husband following the loss of their first child. Naturally, there are rumors around town the mansion might be haunted; it's easy to laugh at the simplicity, but hey, it gets the message across and helps set the tone, perfect for a brisk read.
Branwen reflects on blackouts where things happen that she doesn't remember, or at least not clearly—this is something I am familiar with, but unlike me, Branwen is not a recovering alcoholic referring to her relapses. One of the most disturbing of these blackouts is when her husband tells her that she had him call her 'Rhiannon,' the name of a dead cousin.
As the story develops, she begins to question whether or not the spirit of her dead cousin is inhabiting her body, taking charge during these blackouts, and trying to take over her body altogether. This ties into the debate about the ending being arguably unsatisfying or ambiguous: is she suffering from Dissociative Identity Disorder? Or, as this is fiction, is it really the spirit of her deceased cousin, or some other supernatural force, trying to wrestle control?
For some reason, there are a few oddball scenes I could've sworn I remember (Branwen's psychologist trying to blackmail her into an affair, the opening scene being a mix up about the color she painted her cabinets) being in Triad but a skim read and checking a handful of reviews online finds no trace of them.
The split personality aspect is interesting to see. Daniel Keyes, who more famously wrote the phenomenal Flowers for Algernon, also wrote the fascinating The Minds of Billy Milligan about the first person to win an acquittal in US court based on multiple personality disorder (Dissociative Identity Disorder today, before my psychologist friend rips me a new one).
Triad is not an examination of fictional paranormal activity nor is it a deep and nuanced dive into psychology; it begins with a mixup involving a book review Branwen doesn't remember writing and a late fee for a book she doesn't recall checking out from the library, not the mis-painted cabinets I remember. It's not a complex start, but sometimes a simple, easy read like this is a nice, enjoyable change of pace. It's way too easy to get into writing, overanalyze it, and bloat up a story from being a rollercoaster romp to idling in the traffic of the 'great swampy middle' of the story. Keeping to the surface, like Leader does, helps the plot roll along at an enjoyable pace.
Ultimately, Triad isn't quite a beach read—little too gloomy to fit the sunny California vibes—but it is a mellow autumn read for changing seasons, enjoyable in front of a nice crackling fire or a panoramic window while staring out at the changing leaves. Nothing grand, sweeping, or life-changing, but a pleasant, safe excursion that gives you a nice little backstory for the song it helped inspire.
That is, if you happen to come across it. This wasn't exactly a bestseller, as I said, and after I lost my first copy (never lend your books, nobody returns), it took almost a year to find a second copy for a reasonable price. A bit like Dumb Angel about Dennis Wilson: two obscure, pain in the ass books to find that the same shitheads "borrowed" then kept—and just like Dumb Angel, the effort to acquiring the book outweighed the reward of reading it. With a history degree, you'd think by now I'd be used to vaguely alluded to books not living up to ambitious titles or retellings but hey, that's life.
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