A review by ruddsreads
How to Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie

dark fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

i found this solidly Okay. the story is good - love the concept of a jilted daughter taking revenge on a whole family who wronged her and her late mother - but dear lord is the narrator exhausting. she is disparaging of absolutely everything, down to the most bizarre things like the phrase "rest in peace" which she HATES because she thinks if you were vibrant in life you... wouldn't want to rest? i don't know. like i said, it's bizarre. to her, every woman is silly and vapid and oh so beneath her, and frankly i don't care if that was The Point - it makes for very tiresome reading. i'm not really interested in spending time with a narrator who states she's a feminist but goes on hugely sexist tirades when she sees a woman with some fake tan and a short skirt. i'm happy to give mackie benefit of the doubt and allow for the fact that maybe her murderous narrator isn't supposed to be likeable, and perhaps this was a deliberate ploy. but if so, it should have been far more obvious, because the only impact it had on me was to leave me a bit ticked off.
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