Reviews with content warning for Infidelity - In the Garden of Spite

Serial killer fanfiction—a fun concept, but while well researched, this story adds so much fiction to the mix that I wonder if it wouldn’t have been better to just make it into its own story. The quasi-biographical element of this book is part of what drew me to it, and I was a little disappointed with how much was just made up.

The story itself, though, is well thought out. Belle as a character is surprisingly complex and well written—impressive considering how hard it is to make a murderous sociopath come across as any kind of sympathetic.

Nellie as a character, on the other hand, felt like a crutch to me—a safety net in case people found it difficult to relate to our pernicious protagonist. But if you’re going to write about a serial killer, I say go all in. (If you’re looking for gentle, benevolent characters to fall in love with, maybe don’t pick up books about serial killers). The sections narrated by Nellie are, in my opinion, what renders the pacing less than superb and the book much longer than it needs to be. Though still a well developed character providing a different perspective, she took away from the overall impact of the book for me.

All in all though, a pretty good story for true (and untrue) crime fans. It’s always good to see strong, independent women recognized within the boys club that is serial murder. #feminism, amiright?

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book. I am providing my honest opinion voluntarily.

As someone who has had an interest in psychology for most of my life, I've always wondered about whether people who commit monstrous acts are born that way, created by circumstance, or a combination of both. And this book really speaks to that debate.

While the story IS based on a real person, aspects of it are creatively embellished (as detailed in the author's note). Belle Gunness starts life out as Brynhild Størset. We meet her as a teenager who works as a maid on a farm. She is pregnant by the son of the family who owns the farm, and fully expects that he's going to marry her. Her sense of entitlement leads her to try to force his hand, with disastrous results. When a brutal attack ends her hopes and her pregnancy, something kindles in her and she begins to let spite rule her life.

There are some major warning signs in Brynhild even before this event seems to flip a switch - she' grows up in an abusive household, and was molested at least once in childhood. Because her family was poor, she was discouraged from speaking up about the molestation, and had very little power over any of her circumstances. In addition, This attack triggered something in Brynhild and turned her from an angry and powerless young woman into what would eventually become a brutal and prolific serial killer.

When her sister helps her come to America, she reinvents herself as Bella, but can't quite leave certain parts of herself behind. I loved the dual points of view. While I initially empathized with Brynhild/Bella, as the book went on, I found it more and more difficult to like her as a character. She was such a vile character, and continually blamed, denied, and lied to others, even to herself. The other point of view was her sister, Nellie. It's always been extremely intriguing to me to see the differences between people who grow up in the same situation but turn out so differently. Nellie was kind, sweet, and empathetic, and while she had some inkling of what Bella was doing, as her older sister, she also had an ingrained response to protect Bella no matter what.

Even as I was horrified, I couldn't stop reading. It's graphic and brutal, and definitely not for the faint of heart. But it's an interesting take on a story that still doesn't have any clear answers - what really happened to Bella Gunness?

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