A review by clairebartholomew549
Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is an absolutely brutal book that really made me think about the true crime genre and how much we privilege the experiences of men over the experiences of women. It reminded me a bit of:Notes on an Execution - similarly to that book, it delves into the women at the center of a serial killer's rampage, and it deeply explores the trauma visited upon the survivors and the roadblocks for seeking justice. It is absolutely infuriating reading how Pamela and her sorority sisters are ignored, seen as frivolous, slutshamed, and overall discarded in favor of casting The Defendant (I loved that rhetorical touch by Knoll) in a genteel, mastermind light. The window into the misogyny and homophobia central to the 1970s is fascinating in how it shows up in Pamela, Ruth, and Tina's stories, and I found myself so sad for how Ruth and Tina were stifled by societal expectations and literally labeled as having mental disorders for being attracted to women. I saw some reviews of people confused by the timelines, and I definitely got that - Pamela jumping back and forth from the 1970s to the 2020s was for sure a bit disorienting - but it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book. Or perhaps "enjoyment" is the wrong word - some parts of this book turned my stomach, but I appreciated that it wasn't gore for gore's sake, and I thought Knoll really captured an incredible range of emotions. I so appreciated this one, and it will stay with me for a while.
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