Indspire Me

By Shivalika Triguna

The Marble Collector: An Intriguing Title for an Intriguing Book

The Marble Collector, the title of this book, is the defining term for both the protagonists of this story, Fergus Boggs and Sabrina Boggs.  For Fergus Boggs, it frees him, completes him, on the other hand, it is the fear of loss or unacceptance that compels him to live with two different personalities. For Sabrina Boggs, it is the key, to know the man she thought she knew, ultimately to discover herself.

Facts About The Marble Collector

Publisher – Harper Collins, on 24 September 2015
Genre – Fictional Drama
Author – Cecelia Ahern: An accomplished author, born in Dublin on 30^th September 1981, is a graduate in journalism. Her words act as a spell, to gently pull you in her stories, till you become a part of them. She has readers in 50 countries with 25 million copies of her books having been sold till date. Her first attempt, P.S. I Love you, was extremely successful and was converted into a movie. Her work beautifully captures emotions, especially romance, which I would say is an informal curriculum for the youth.

The Marble Collector Has an Alternating Narrative

The tale shifts between Sabrina Boggs and Fergus Boggs, between the childhood and the lost memories, between the visible and hidden parts, tracing the landscape of family and friends.
Cecelia has dexterously build up the plot and the characters. Title of the chapters are named as either ‘rules of pools’ or ‘the games of marbles’ ; Pick this gem and you will know why!!

The protagonist Sabrina is Pulled out of her Humdrum Existence

It is an unusual thing with Sabrina that she’s able to remember those things which usually people forget, like the subconscious acts in an unlikely situation, that happen unknowingly.
Sabrina leads her life mono-chromatically, defined by rules, like a hamster she is running with time, making sandwiches for the breakfast, taking care of her three children and then, the hospital. She is so consumed that she has little time to think, and most often she forgets to breathe. It is beneath the water and away from direct glare, that she finds comfort and where she doesn’t need to remind herself to breathe.
It’s one fine day that her routine breaks, the marbles arrive. She has no clue about them. Her ordeal starts, in those 24 hrs, she is running against time. It’s these marbles, which turn her own father into a complete stranger. Her quest is to find the man who all his life tried to balance between the two sides of coin. The one who was trying to save himself, by guarding his love from his loved.
And in this Sabrina, finds her freedom, she regains her breath above the surface.
Following excerpt, beautifully states it

Yeah, maybe I am waiting for something to happen. Maybe it will never happen. Maybe I will have to make it happen myself. Maybe that’s what I’m doing now.

Marbles Have a Significant Meaning, Intertwined throughout the Story

Fergus’ first love were marbles, in a dark room. He first got them as an escape from a punishment and then they turned into his passion. To him, marbles weren’t just a game, but an extension of himself.
The same marbles become an extension for Sabrina to unveil the missing pieces of the puzzle. Also, the marbles can be interpreted as the lost memories of her father, which she collects for the ultimate discovery.
P.S. – While you read through this book, don’t hasten. Take a plunge into the turmoil of emotions which characters go through and then sail with the tides.

About the Author

Shivalika Sharma is an MBA graduate. In her precious time saved from  clocking the routine of 9 to 5, she likes to read books in the genres of philosophy, autobiography and fiction, write poetry, dance (i.e. a stress buster) and have long conversations with her little brother contemplating life. According to her, time well spent with family and friends is the most valuable. She is passionate about the causes of educating children and conserving the environment. She is an active volunteer with SPIC-MACAY an organisation promoting Indian culture and art-forms.