A review by megaden
The Savage Instinct by M.M. DeLuca

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Clara has just been released from a mental institution after her husband had her forcibly confined after the stillbirth of their child. As she struggles to readjust to “normal” life, she finds herself stifled by her controlling husband. Enter Mary Ann Cotton, England’s first female serial killer. Cotton is in prison awaiting trial for the murder of her child (and suspected murder of multiple other children and a few husbands). Clara meets her when she visits the prison to do charity work and finds herself drawn to Mary Ann. Mary Ann consistently proclaims her innocence, but as Clara discovers her husband’s plan to reinstitutionalize her to claim her vast inheritance she starts thinking that poisoning your husband might not be the worst idea in the world. 

Clara reminded me of the woman in The Yellow Wallpaper. Both faced incredible traumas that today probably would have been diagnosed as postpartum depression, but instead of treatment they are treated like feral idiots. As the book went on, I couldn’t help but hope that her husband, Henry, met a bad end. His gaslighting was infuriating and Clara’s isolation and growing terror of imprisonment were palpable. I highly recommend this book with the caveat that it might make you very angry at misogynist society. 
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