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March 2023

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How to Kill Men and Get Away With It by Katy Brent

Written by , Posted in Uncategorized

Four Stars

Best for:
Anyone with a strong stomach and a desire to read a deeply disturbing but also kind of funny revenge fantasy. I had a fairly long travel day yesterday, involving two short flights but a lot of airport time. I started the book at 11:30. I finished it at about 5pm.

In a nutshell:
Content notes for the book and the review: sexual assault, pedophilia, murder, animal cruelty, probably a lot of other things

Influencer Kitty accidentally killed someone who was about to sexually assault her. And got away with it. Will this become a pattern?

Worth quoting:
“ ‘Ladies,’ he says, holding his glass up like he’s Leonardo DiCaprio in The Great Gatsby. If you think extremely average white men have a confidence they don’t deserve, imagine one with money who has been gushed over since he was about twelve.”

Why I chose it:
My partner spotted it in a bookshop and though it would be right up my alley.

What it left me feeling:
Stunned

Review:
I mean … this book is absurd. Obviously. Pretty much all the characters, including the main one, are pretty unlikable. Pretty, rich, vapid. Etc. And the book is violent as fuck (so probably not the healthiest media to consume). And there’s some sex scenes that were a bit racier than I was expecting (As someone who reads mostly non-fiction, or if its fiction, it’s often crime-based, I’m also forgetting that people like to read sex scenes. I just don’t expect them.) And the literal logistics of some things (like her ability to dismember a large man’s body) are doubtful.

But.

BUT.

In real life, I’m opposed to the death penalty. I think the prison industrial complex and the criminal punishments systems are deeply fucked.

In real life, I’ve also been cat called, and known numerous women who have been sexually assaulted by men who faced no repercussions. So a book that’s all about a woman who has had enough and just takes matters into her own hands? I found it pretty satisfying. The plot of the book also has some twists and some slightly unexpected moments, so it isn’t totally predictable.

The author in a note at the end acknowledges that there have been many recent looks at women as revenge / serial killers. I think this book succeeds where the film Promising Young Woman tried and failed.

Recommend to a Friend / Keep / Donate it / Toss it:
Donate it

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