I’m sharing another instalment of my Mini Review Mondays, the most recent of which was last week. In case you haven’t seen any of my previous posts, I do ‘mini’ reviews of books that I’ve previously read and am now ready to share my full thoughts about.
First up, I’d like to talk about Notes on Surviving the Fire by Christine Murphy. Thank you to Headline for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Sarah grew up in the forests of Maine, following her father on hunts. They approached each kill with something close to reverence, honouring the sacrifice the animal made and the sustenance it provided through winter.
Now, she’s a final year PhD student in southern California, caught in an entirely different landscape of extreme wealth and raging wildfires. She spends her time worrying about how she’ll be able to get a permanent academic position, and also doing ketamine and watching 80s movies with her best friend, Nathan.
Nathan was the only person to believe Sarah when she was assaulted by a fellow student during her first year. When he’s found dead of an alleged heroin overdose, Sarah is convinced it is a murder but, once again, the police don’t believe her. As she digs into the case, she stumbles upon a disturbing pattern in the deaths of other young men on campus and begins to piece together a possible link between the victims.
Now, Sarah must confront a different type of killing to any she’s ever known – and decide if it can be justified.
Publication Date: 25th February
CW: death, violence, rape, sexual assault, harassment, grief, traumatic flashbacks
My Thoughts:
Notes on Surviving The Fire was a gut punch of a book. It was brave and brilliant, delving into tough territory with nuance and sensitivity.
This is not an easy read and please do tread with caution. Murphy examines rape culture and the trauma around this in a deftly handled manner that is mired in complexity. It is gut-wrenching and heart-breaking in its exploration of the cyclical nature of violence and the ramifications of assault, trauma and rape in our specific society. With the current political climate, it has that much more of an impact.
I really enjoyed the exploration of the thin line between justice and vengeance, asking who gets to draw it. This particularly comes into effect in cases of rape. The lines are blurred and societal expectations on the victim to justify what they said, did, wore, existed as. Murphy digs into the ramifications surrounding that – the endless questions and justifications. It is ripped straight from the headlines in a way that makes you want to scream.
When media says it explores rage, this is what should be delivered. It is deeply rageful in every page. There is the question of what survival really looks like and what victimhood entails as a label – both of which can be taxing and continue to spin that wheel. That anger has no place to be directed. Murphy weaves in these ethical and spiritual discussions that help dissect what the characters are grappling with from a different viewpoint, without feeling preachy or extraneous. All of this informs the complexity of Sarah’s character and her particular viewpoint. This is her story – grappling with what has happened to her and how her worldview may forever be changed by the events of this book.
Notes on Surviving the Fire is rageful and reflective – a detailed character study and examination of rape culture.
Next up, I’d like to talk about I Make My Own Fun by Hannah Beer. Thank you to Atlantic Books for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
She’s the woman who has everything. But she wants more. She wants you…
Everyone knows Marina, the A-list movie star. But very few know Marina, the absolute monster.
Years at the top have proved that whatever Marina wants, she gets. But when she meets bartender Anna, Marina discovers something that can’t be bought: Anna’s affection. As Anna remains unmoved, Marina’s advances become more desperate – and her obsession more dangerous.
The price of fame is heavy – and someone will have to pay for it…
Publication Date: 6th March
CW: stalking, death, blood, violence, sexism, manipulation, infidelity
My Thoughts:
I Make My Own Fun was an unhinged rollercoaster ride of a book. Think American Psycho in the world of the BAFTAs and British wealth.
Being in Marina’s headspace is a darkly comic hellscape – it is a twisted place but strangely charming in a way. She lures you in just to dig the knife deeper. It is the type of book you cannot tear yourself away from. Beer captures such a compelling and calculated voice with moments of absurdist humour from Marina’s incredibly privileged life. Everything is a manipulation and a pretence with her – nothing is ever real in this world of make-believe. All of this makes for addictive reading territory, amped up by the increasingly bizarre turn of events around her. There is a subplot that I adore and encapsulates the materialistic show of wealth that is a sickening exploitation and indulgence. But for Marina, none of it truly matters. The world shapes as she wills it to. After all, she has power, money and looks – what more could a girl want?
The glitz and the glamour are the type most of us can only ever read about and Beer weaves in this fascinating discussion around fame and obsessive fandom, with these snippets from Marina’s fan pages. They add a meta layer of having her every move dissected, after you have just seen the reality from Marina herself. It is a hilarious and unsettling perspective that reminds you just how much of a force Marina is. As much as you may be drawn to her, she is a powder keg willing to burn anything in her path.
I Make My Own Fun is an unhinged, darkly comic gem. Obsession, power and privilege intertwine in a deeply compelling read.
Finally, I’d like to delve into Scenes from a Tragedy by Carole Hailey. Thank you again to Atlantic Books for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
When an empty passenger plane mysteriously crashes in the Lake District, journalist Carly Atherton is determined to get to the truth of what happened – the love of her life was one of the two pilots on board.
But when she contacts the family of the other pilot, the conflicting memories of his wife and his sister draw her into a story far darker than she could possibly have imagined.
As Carly delves into the dynamics of a seemingly ordinary family, she realises that the bonds that shape us can also tear us apart – and that sometimes there are monsters living among us, hiding in plain sight…
Publication Date: 6th March
CW: death, murder, grief, gaslighting, manipulation, drugging, sexual assault, suicide
My Thoughts:
Scenes for a Tragedy was suspenseful and tightly plotted with a creeping sense of menace and an incredibly compelling plot.
Buckle up because you are in for a wild ride. Every time I thought I knew where the narrative might be going, Hailey outfoxed me again. This is a deep dive into the monstrosity humanity is capable of in a true crime gloss. Carole Hailey excels at writing these wonderfully knotty characters that you just need to know the truth of. It is complicated and fractured with a cat and mouse tension that is escalating with every chapter. You are constantly questioning everything and Hailey sits in that ambiguity and uncertainty wonderfully. Carly is caught up in this web by her own grief and desire to find out the truth. The question really is what will she uncover in her pursuit as she becomes entangled in something very different to what she expected.
The plot itself is fast-paced yet has plenty of time to develop these characters so they leap off the page and sit with you long after the final page. That combination is intoxicating and causes the pages to just fly by. You know the ultimate outcome but it is the question of why that is just all-consuming. Hailey builds the suspense wonderfully, leading you down the rabbit hole. This is the type of book you should go into knowing very little and just hand the reins over to Hailey. However, I must admit, this has one of the most explosive and truly stomach-churning final thirds I have read for quite some time. It is sickening and tragic in a deeply human way.
Scenes for a Tragedy lives up to its name in a tale of obsession and revenge in a twisted tragedy.
A Short Book Lover 
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