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A review by lezzieborden
The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I regret that I can’t give more than 5 to this one. Exactly the kind of weird puzzle story I love, and I’ve never seen an Agatha Christie-style mystery start advocating for prison abolition before, which was refreshing. Felt like I was playing a late 1980s point-and-click detective game in the best way possible, like I was participating in the solve even though I obviously was just reading a book.
Despite the 1920s English setting, there’s a lot in this book that reminds me of Twin Peaks. Not necessarily the plot (beyond “There’s a murder and the guy meant to solve it doesn’t have a normal relationship to time & reality”), but in the tone & weirdness. Reading the reviews of people who hated this book confirm that for me. If you don’t hate being confused sometimes when the main character doesn’t have all the answers, you’ll like it.
Despite the 1920s English setting, there’s a lot in this book that reminds me of Twin Peaks. Not necessarily the plot (beyond “There’s a murder and the guy meant to solve it doesn’t have a normal relationship to time & reality”), but in the tone & weirdness. Reading the reviews of people who hated this book confirm that for me. If you don’t hate being confused sometimes when the main character doesn’t have all the answers, you’ll like it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Suicide, and Violence
Moderate: Body shaming, Drug abuse, Self harm, and Sexual violence
Minor: Addiction, Child death, Rape, and Sexual assault