S. E. Maréchal has crafted an inspiring journey of self-discovery in The Ghost of Id, a multifaceted suspense story of a woman sleepwalking through a life she feels is expected of her-until everything is turned upside down. The awakening experienced throughout the book causes change, but not without risk. Maréchal paints a picture of discord and strife, as well as brighter images of awareness and freedom. Nothing in life comes free, but is the price worth the upheaval?
Sydney is a wife and mother who one day wakes up after a particularly haunting, erotic, and familiar dream. Her grown daughter, Madison, is harboring a great secret, which is perhaps part of what her mother is sensing in her growing feeling of disquiet. Madison struggles under the same construct her mother is grappling with-society's social and moral code of expectations. These expectations are so self-limiting and strangling that the two women have to break free-each in her own way.
Sydney's husband is another source of disquiet. On the outside all seems well. Thomas is a good husband, albeit somewhat detached, and he performs his duties with success. But Sydney is sensing something is at work that she doesn't understand and begins to attribute issues with Thomas to be at the root of this burgeoning life change she feels coming her way.
Outside of her own marriage issues, Sydney is faced with the confusing aspect of her niece, a fulfilled, buoyant, and vibrant woman who lives according to her own rules and sense of self-as a lesbian in a committed relationship. While Sydney is not at all against gay people, something mysterious about this lifestyle stirs unrelenting fear.
The Ghost of Id is a powerful tale of one woman's burning mission to find answers to a question, the importance of which she is only beginning to understand. Powerful imagery and layered storylines make Maréchal's book an engrossing tale that crosses the genre boundary from suspense thriller to psychological and self-help.
About the Author: S. E. Maréchal was raised in the Southwest. The beauty of its landscape, flora, and fauna is where she developed a deep love for horses, which for her are a great symbol of freedom. The author was relocated to Northern California by her law firm to finish her educational background. It was in this atmosphere where her eyes were opened to the reality of how a false sense of morality, societally imposed restrictions, and patriarchal domination can injure the freedom, passion, and soul of a woman. San Francisco's culture and diversity incited her curiosity about the relationship between gender equality and the constraints of society.
Her suspense novel, The Ghost of Id, was inspired by a pivotal person in Maréchal's life who challenged the author to step out of the constraints of her socially nurtured vision of expected behavior, morality, and happiness. Maréchal continues to live in Northern California with her family.
