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A review by caitcoy
The Murders of Molly Southbourne by Tade Thompson
4.0
The Murders of Molly Southbourne centers on, of course, Molly Southbourne, a young woman with a rather unusual problem. From birth, any time that Molly bleeds, an identical version of her (a molly) is born and attempts to kill her. From her youngest days, Molly's parents teach her a set of rules to help her navigate this horrifying reality. But no one can avoid bleeding forever or be ready to fight for their life at every possible moment and even their best efforts may not be enough to keep Molly safe from the mollys forever.
This is the first story I've ever read from Tade Thompson but it certainly won't be the last. The constant menace of the mollys, the gruesome ways in which Molly had to protect herself and the inevitable psychological damage of having to constantly kill yourself in order to remain alive were all so compelling and horrifying. It reminded me very much of that level of horrified fascination that has always gotten me when I watch episodes of Black Mirror. I could see this being a bit of a struggle for anyone who needs strict logic and clear answers since at least this novella doesn't really deliver strongly on that. It's more focused on the psychological effect on Molly and gets a little hand wavy in terms of the cause of the mollys. That didn't bother me much as a reader who cares more about character, but YMMV.
I very much needed a palate cleanser after the creep-out and dread in this relatively short story but there's no doubt in my mind that I'll read the sequel and anything else I can get from Tade Thompson. The Murders of Molly Southbourne is great for readers who like being creeped out and are okay with more questions than answers.
This is the first story I've ever read from Tade Thompson but it certainly won't be the last. The constant menace of the mollys, the gruesome ways in which Molly had to protect herself and the inevitable psychological damage of having to constantly kill yourself in order to remain alive were all so compelling and horrifying. It reminded me very much of that level of horrified fascination that has always gotten me when I watch episodes of Black Mirror. I could see this being a bit of a struggle for anyone who needs strict logic and clear answers since at least this novella doesn't really deliver strongly on that. It's more focused on the psychological effect on Molly and gets a little hand wavy in terms of the cause of the mollys. That didn't bother me much as a reader who cares more about character, but YMMV.
I very much needed a palate cleanser after the creep-out and dread in this relatively short story but there's no doubt in my mind that I'll read the sequel and anything else I can get from Tade Thompson. The Murders of Molly Southbourne is great for readers who like being creeped out and are okay with more questions than answers.