A review by minimicropup
Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead by Jenny Hollander

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

I didn’t think I’d make it through this book at first. I hated the insufferable main character and the overuse of random withholding from the reader to create suspense …but about a third of the way, it had less of that and became Just One More Chapter. 
 
Energy: Agitated. Sullen. Distraught. 
Scene: 🇺🇸 Expensive townhouse and surrounding area in Manhattan, NYC 
Perspective: Our main character (thirty-something) survived a mass murder 8 years ago while attending a prestigious journalism school. Now an editor-in-chief for a well-known magazine/chronicle, they are unexpectedly faced with a resurgence of interest after a famous former student funds a ‘based on a true story’ movie retelling the incident. We also get 'Then' moments as our main character attempts to resurrect their memories with their therapist. 
 
🐺 Growls: Alluding to events and people but taking too long to share their relevance with the reader. Convoluted dialogue. 
🐕 Howls: Charlie. Too much preamble – the same things being said in different ways.
🐩 Tail Wags: The plot. The suspense once things got going. 
 
🤔 Random Thoughts:
This tested my patience so hard 😅 So much rambling about Charlie’s insecurities after introducing the tiniest morsel of backstory or intrigue. 
 
The character introductions are so convoluted omg. Minor characters would be mentioned as if we should know who they are, but we have no idea who they are, and then they aren’t even mentioned again for such a long time. 
 
The characters spoke in a forced, unnatural way to me. They talked like how B movies portray young adults at a party I had to re-read the dialogue because it was hard to know who was speaking in a room full of people (and it mattered who was saying what!) 
 
By 35%, those annoying things mostly stopped and the suspense started. 
 
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🎬 Tale-Telling: Chaotic and stilted, but with flowery similes. Melodramatic but also direct, almost clinical.
🤓 Reader Role: Observing from afar. Sometimes, our view is obstructed at a critical moment, or we walk into a room a little too late to know what’s happening.  
🗺️ World-Building: Psychologically confusing and claustrophobic. A little chaotic, but in a good way. NYC vibes were sparse, but with some reader investment, you can still imagine the world around the characters. 
🔥 Fuel: What’s this about a mass murder? Why is Charlie trying to stop the docu movie about the massacre if she can’t remember anything from that night? Who can she trust? Is her mind turning on her? 
📖 Cred: Plausible to suspended disbelief
🚙 Journey: Multi-tasking during a movie, losing interest, feels too tropey. Next thing you know you’re glued to the screen devouring popcorn. 
 
Mood Reading Match-Up:
  • Subway trains. Fire exit views. Distant siren blips. High heels. Shower water. Rum. Shrieking and laughter. Champagne. Muffled city sounds. 
  • Something Big happened but the main character can’t remember 
  • Shy College Romance and Friends to Lovers Hot Mess
  • Hints of scandal and true crime media bits
 
Content Heads-Up: PTSD. Dissociation. Panic attacks. Traumatic memory loss. Loss of a child (baby). Loss of a sibling. Classism. Controlling in-laws. Racism (media). Suicide (implied). Violence, stabbing. Blood. Vomit. Obsession, stalking, jealousy. Alcohol (partying, addiction). Drugging (brief mention).
 
Rep: Down Syndrome. Indian and White American, British, and Norwegian characters. Gay. Heterosexual. Cisgender. 
 
📚 Format: Library Digital
 
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