It’s time for the final Mini Review Monday of May. 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, the most recent instalment of which was the other week.
First up, I’d like to talk about Rottenheart by Kat Dunn. Thank you to Manilla Press for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Odette and Cecilia are young women, living between their grand homes in Hampstead and the imposing, ancient Herne House in Suffolk. Though Odette’s artist mother Lydia keeps a tight grasp on her, she and her beloved Cecilia are mostly left free to roam, to learn and to love.
But when Lydia inexplicably sickens and dies, a dark veil falls. As the funeral rites are performed, Odette’s aunt, the cold and implacable Claudine, increasingly takes charge of the household, while her father retreats to his study. Odette, lost in grief, disappears into the shadows.
But as Claudine is announced as Odette’s new stepmother, a sinister presence in the house makes itself known. To her horror, Odette realises that despite her death, Lydia never really left. And now she wants revenge…
Publication Date: 4th June
CW: death, murder, violence, gore, grief, death of a parent, blackmail, drowning, suicidal ideation, abusive relationship, sexism, misogyny, sexual harassment
My Thoughts:
Rottenheart is the lyrical, Gothic, sapphic Hamlet reimagining you need in your life.
Kat Dunn’s work always has this ability to cast a shadow that lingers with you long after the final page. Her writing is stunning with a lyrical quality that is enchanting, but beware the thorns on this rose. There is a danger and an ominous feeling to each piece, which is dialled up to eleven. The horror is done so brilliantly. You get the sense of something standing right there, just out of your sight. It is wonderfully unsettling and atmospheric, bringing you into this fracturing mind as reality and something more collide. The way Dunn explores grief within this is stunning and really lands with an impact. You can see the homages to Hamlet but also how this is being spun into something beguiling and standing alone. The reframing allows you to consider how the elements of gender, class and sexuality really come into play, as well as abusive relationships and the way that control extends through the years. The ghost motif is already unsettling from the original play but Dunn elongates it and gives it a new spin that will stay with you.
In both this and Hungerstone, there is this ferocity that entangles with the supernatural elements being explored. You can feel a palpable anger emerging from the pages and I love how Dunn explicitly uses these unnatural elements to explore very human themes. Here she is delving into grief, the way those we love can stay with us and the all-consuming nature of revenge, all of which are familiar themes from Hamlet. However there is also exploration of toxic, controlling relationships and the fraught dynamic between art and muse, mother and daughter and love and loss. It is richly layered and there is plenty to unpick in every chapter. The themes are deeply and carefully explored with nuance.
Rottenheart is my favourite work so far from an author that pulls you completely into the tales she spins and refuses to let you go.
Next up, I’d like to talk about A Killer Plot by E. C. Nevin. Thank you to Zaffre Books for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Jane Hepburn is still recovering from solving the murder at last year’s Killer Lines festival when she is dragged into another very bookish murder.
When a young editorial assistant is found dead at her friend’s launch in a famous Cecil Court bookshop, Jane must use all her knowledge and experience as a writer of crime fiction to solve the mystery.
Publication Date: 11th June
CW: death, murder, violence, sexism, stalking
My Thoughts:
A Killer Plot returns to the glittering world of publishing through the cosy crime lens of an insider to deliver more nefarious plots, great twists and characters that steal a place in your heart.
A Novel Murder was a wickedly sharp and meta cosy crime novel based in the publishing industry and the conniving chaos it can contain. Nevin delivers a cosy crime love letter to murder mysteries, while also critiquing some of the hallmarks of the genre. All of this continues in this fantastic follow-up. Jane and co return and continue to be the beating heart of this series. I just fell in love with them in book one and they develop even more here, with even a little thread of romance potentially starting to blossom. There is such relatability of feeling on the outside looking in, especially in such an opaque industry such as publishing. Jane is perceptive, passionate and driven to do anything for those she loves. That striking sense of morality is evident here and wonderfully intersects with the denouement.
There is an acerbic wit and sharp look at the realities of the publishing industry for both writers and industry insiders alike. We explore burnout, debuts and the inequalities across the board. I think Nevin nails that weird mix of excitement and jealousy that can be experienced when celebrating someone else’s success. Jane is struggling with her new novel, especially following her virality with the events of the first book. Seeing Natalie soar is rewarding and heartbreaking in equal measure, but then adding a murder in twists the knife further. This series is such a clever mix of cheeky references and nods to those in the know, but also twisted and spun way out of shape. It is an exaggerated version of reality that just lightly touches on potential real-life elements but also speaks to a real grit and reality of struggling within the industry from multiple angles.
A Killer Plot continues the cosy crime series of my heart and long may it continue. It has such a refreshing blend of raw honesty and well-constructed mysteries that I adore.
Finally, I’d like to delve into A Real Piece of Work by Freya Bromley. Thank you to Hutchinson Heinemann for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Nola McConkey has made it. Animal Oracle, the memoir she has written about her beloved late sister Darina, has become a hit. People read it, critics loved it, producers now want to make it into a movie. The dream of quitting her job and becoming a full-time writer in London doesn’t seem so far away. There’s only one problem: everyone in her family has an opinion about the book – and none of them are good. Though Nola can’t let it affect her. It’s the price she must pay for the life she wants.
But now, someone has made an anonymous complaint to her publisher about Animal Oracle. Suddenly, her hard-won reputation as a literary darling is at stake. Nola is sure that only someone in her secretive, chaotic family could be to blame. As her parents and three remaining siblings prepare to spend the fifth anniversary of Darina’s death together on the isolated island of Lundy, Nola knows this is the perfect opportunity to convince her accuser to pull the complaint before it causes irreparable damage – but first, she must discover who made it.
Publication Date: 11th June
CW: grief, death
My Thoughts:
A Real Piece of Work was a beautifully written and gripping exploration of grief, family and who gets to control the narrative. It felt so raw and tender with great characterisation and slowly unfurled its heart to you.
It firmly sits in the murky quagmire of moral ambiguity. Not every decision that Nola makes is necessarily the right one and the question at the heart of this story is one that will split readers. I loved how Bromley explores different aspects of this and how each character has their own perspective. There are no easy answers, there is only mess and that aftershock rippling through their lives. This family already had fractured and complex dynamics that the death of Darina compounded and then Nola’s book detonated. The way Bromley explores these relationships is gorgeous, giving each one time and space to breathe on the page and show the nuances involved. They are bound together by blood but how much does that actually mean?
This has one of the most searing depictions of grief I have read for a while. It is devastating, raw, messy and deeply vulnerable. I loved how emotionally honest it was in the complication of remembering the person who died as the human they were, flaws and all. It explictly grapples with the romanticisation that can occur after death, which is a sort of blanketing and removal of any imperfections. This is dishonest and removes a little of that person’s humanity. Everyone here has different memories of Darina and I loved the use of multiple timelines to explore those moments leading up to her death. It gives you a sense of get to know even a glimpse of Darina, which is exactly what we want to do when remembering those no longer with us. We want others to be able to know just a little of them, but the difficulty is where that line is drawn, especially with the very public nature of Nola’s book. That opens up a whole new conversation about boundaries, exploitation and getting to share your story. It is utterly beautiful and impactful. As someone grappling with grief, Bromley’s work here is something I will treasure for quite some time.
A Real Piece of Work is a book that I wholeheartedly recommend with stunning writing and grappling with a thorny, thought-provoking central question.
A Short Book Lover 