Reviews with content warning for Body horror - The Murders of Molly Southbourne

Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

The Murders of Molly Southbourne by Tade Thompson

15 reviews

merilyn_ohtla's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Tade Thompson's "The Murders of Molly Southbourne" is a mesmerizing and chilling exploration of identity, isolation, and the darkest corners of the human psyche. In this novella, Thompson weaves a narrative that is both thought-provoking and deeply unsettling, leaving readers questioning the nature of reality long after the final page has been turned.

The story follows Molly Southbourne, a young woman plagued by a bizarre and terrifying affliction: every time she bleeds, a murderous doppelgänger is born from her blood. Thompson delves into Molly's internal struggles and existential dread with both poignancy and harrowing detail, drawing readers into her increasingly desperate attempts to understand and control her own identity.

The novella's brevity is one of its greatest strengths, as Thompson expertly crafts a tightly-paced narrative that never wastes a single word. Every scene, every revelation, serves to deepen the mystery and ratchet up the tension, culminating in a climax that is as shocking as it is inevitable.

"The Murders of Molly Southbourne" is a story that lingers in the mind long after it has been read, leaving readers haunted by its implications and craving for more.

Content Warnings

wordsareworlds's review

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

This book starts off so strongly, and has an amazing premise. But for me, the structure of it being a kind of memoir told to the narrator we meet first didn't work particularly well. It ended up feeling like more of a prologue than the first of a trilogy, and the style made me feel too removed from Molly and the emotions she was feeling throughout.

Oddly, it may have worked better as a short story, where we didn't have quite so many moments in Molly's life explained and the identity of the person at the start a bigger reveal at the end. I may pick up the other two in the trilogy, but I'm not particularly anxious to do so. I do believe that the story could work very well for people who aren't alienated by the framework.

Content Warnings