The Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone

Description

A woman learns to expand the boundaries of her small world and let love inside it in this sparkling and unforgettable novel by Audrey Burges.

From her attic in the Arizona mountains, thirty-four-year-old Myra Malone blogs about a dollhouse mansion that captivates thousands of readers worldwide. Myra’s stories have created legions of fans who breathlessly await every blog post, trade photographs of Mansion-modeled rooms, and swap theories about the enigmatic and reclusive author. Myra herself is tethered to the Mansion by mysteries she can’t understand—rooms that appear and disappear overnight, music that plays in its corridors.

Across the country, Alex Rakes, the scion of a custom furniture business, encounters two Mansion fans trying to recreate a room. The pair show him the Minuscule Mansion, and Alex is shocked to recognize a reflection of his own life mirrored back to him in minute scale. The room is his own bedroom, and the Mansion is his family’s home, handed down from the grandmother who disappeared mysteriously when Alex was a child. Searching for answers, Alex begins corresponding with Myra. Together, the two unwind the lonely paths of their twin worlds—big and small—and trace the stories that entwine them, setting the stage for a meeting rooted in loss, but defined by love.“There’s nothing small about the worlds Burges makes. Inside her minuscule mansion are entire worlds, a fated romance, and the answers to more than one mystery. Readers of The Lost Apothecary will devour The Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone. Love, loss, and loneliness: this book explores it all, with Burges’ characteristic humor and care. This book is a winner.”—Rachel Mans McKenny, award-winning author of The Butterfly Effect

“The Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone is a refreshing and unique entry into the genre of mystical realism. Quirky and scarred yet very authentic characters populate this richly told tale of friendship, family, and timeless love. Perfect for fans of Sarah Addison Allen and for all book lovers searching for a fantastic read.”—Karen White, New York Times bestselling authorAudrey Burges writes novels, humor, satire, and essays in Richmond, Virginia. She has stories published or forthcoming in McSweeney’s, Cease, Cows, Into the Void, Human Parts, Empty Mirror, The Belladonna, Slackjaw, and Points in Case. When Audrey isn’t writing, she’s being tolerated by her two rambunctious children and very patient husband.Reader’s Guide
The Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone by Audrey Burges
Discussion Questions:

1. In many ways, The Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone is about the places and people we always carry with us. What’s a place—a room, a destination, a home—that you’ve never really left behind? What details of that place stick with you? Why?

2. Friendship is as big a theme in this book as love. Who is your Gwen? Who is your Ellen? What moments in your life have they gotten you through, and how?

3. Myra has dedicated her life to an activity that most people would consider a hobby. What’s something you’re passionate about that the rest of the world may not understand? If you could make it your day job, would you? Why or why not?

4. Alex and Myra fall in love with each other’s words first, long before either of them lays eyes on the other. Have you ever started a relationship sight unseen? What happened? Are there words that still resonate with you from the experience?

5. Many of the lessons Myra learns from Trixie and Lou don’t dawn on her until much later, when she’s grown. What are some things you learned as a child that didn’t seem significant until you were an adult?

6. If you could shrink anything you loved down to a size that you could keep it with you always, would you do it? What would it be, and why?

7. A major theme of the book centers on the idea of characters becoming the person they need to be—in Willa’s case, quite literally, and in Myra’s, Alex’s, and Diana’s cases, more figuratively. What parts of the story allow them to do this, in your view? Have you ever transformed yourself? What, or who, helped you?

8. This book features several love stories. Which one was your favorite? Your least favorite? Why?

9. The book opens with a blog entry from Myra—“Once upon a time, there was a house”—that
invites the reader to imagine their own perfect space. What would yours be and where would it be located?

10. Did you ever have a Trixie in your life? Who was it, and what did they mean to you?

11. What themes, scenes, or elements of this story stayed with you the most? Why?

12. If you could have a conversation with any of the characters in the novel, who would it be, and where would you have it?US