Scan barcode
A review by beate251
When Sally Killed Harry by Lucy Roth
challenging
dark
funny
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for this ARC.
Sally is from London but now resides in Manhattan. It is clear that she has run from something and that there is major trauma in her past. She lives with New Yorker Priya who is a psychotherapist, and works in a job she doesn't enjoy.
One day she gets drugged and conned out of her money by suave Harry, and her sense of revenge gets awakened. Interestingly, within what feels like minutes she has assembled a support group of half a dozen women who have been hurt by men - abusers, rapists, financial con artists, catfishers, thieves, the lot. They call their group " Some Women" and meet weekly in a church hall of all places to pool their resources. First they just want to get their money back or humiliate these men out of their jobs but it very soon tips into murder, with Sally being at the forefront of the action.
It is clear that Sally is deeply damaged. She talks of a psychiatric ward in her past and compensation money and once we learn what happened we can understand how she is behaving now. Of course, with that many bad men around, even less damaged women might be out for revenge, and so one abuser and rapist after the other finds their timely end, with the women dividing up the work and helping each other out, making sure that nothing connects them to their respective victims.
There remains a complicated relationship between Sally and Harry - after all he did to her, she still gravitates towards him. She attributes that to her childhood but I still found it strange. Things do go wrong, one man survives an attempt, Harry taunts Sally, and there is an interesting but logical twist about Priya's boyfriend Steve.
I have a penchant for revenge novels and female serial killers, and this one delivers in spades, even though they all get away with it a bit too easily and the story ends a bit too neatly. The revenge theme is strong but we don't really get more than a superficial sense of the other women. I'm questioning whether the first person narrative is the correct choice and whether we need a mystery around Sally's childhood trauma instead of just being told straightaway. It is also lacking any kind of humour but that's not a bad thing. The story is however very entertaining and I read it in one sitting.
Sally is from London but now resides in Manhattan. It is clear that she has run from something and that there is major trauma in her past. She lives with New Yorker Priya who is a psychotherapist, and works in a job she doesn't enjoy.
One day she gets drugged and conned out of her money by suave Harry, and her sense of revenge gets awakened. Interestingly, within what feels like minutes she has assembled a support group of half a dozen women who have been hurt by men - abusers, rapists, financial con artists, catfishers, thieves, the lot. They call their group " Some Women" and meet weekly in a church hall of all places to pool their resources. First they just want to get their money back or humiliate these men out of their jobs but it very soon tips into murder, with Sally being at the forefront of the action.
It is clear that Sally is deeply damaged. She talks of a psychiatric ward in her past and compensation money and once we learn what happened we can understand how she is behaving now. Of course, with that many bad men around, even less damaged women might be out for revenge, and so one abuser and rapist after the other finds their timely end, with the women dividing up the work and helping each other out, making sure that nothing connects them to their respective victims.
There remains a complicated relationship between Sally and Harry - after all he did to her, she still gravitates towards him. She attributes that to her childhood but I still found it strange. Things do go wrong, one man survives an attempt, Harry taunts Sally, and there is an interesting but logical twist about Priya's boyfriend Steve.
I have a penchant for revenge novels and female serial killers, and this one delivers in spades, even though they all get away with it a bit too easily and the story ends a bit too neatly. The revenge theme is strong but we don't really get more than a superficial sense of the other women. I'm questioning whether the first person narrative is the correct choice and whether we need a mystery around Sally's childhood trauma instead of just being told straightaway. It is also lacking any kind of humour but that's not a bad thing. The story is however very entertaining and I read it in one sitting.
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Drug use, Infidelity, Rape, Gaslighting, and Alcohol