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carokfulf's review against another edition
5.0
A mystery without solution, grief without end, a space that was never occupied but will also never be filled.
audreylee's review
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Murder
The Author describes in beautiful detail how the death of an Aunt she never knew was a shadow over her childhood and family. Who gets to tell the tale when someone is murdered? How much can they possibly know about the interior lives of those they have lost? When does the person's death become more important than their life? Do the family's need to maintain a perfect facade to be worthy of one's empathy? Nelson delves deep and is frank about her own family and faults...sometimes to a very uncomfortable degree.mlliu's review
5.0
I found a recommendation for this book somewhere online, maybe in an article or discussion about the true crime genre. I love the spare writing, which I'd expect from a poet. I didn't realize until after I'd finished the book that Nelson had been awarded a MacArthur Fellowship, or "genius grant." I guess I'm not as familiar with contemporary, critical authors. But her memoir was quite accessible.
ndr's review against another edition
3.0
True crime enthusiasts will leave the table hungry; the trial referred to in the title has an outcome but no solution. Author Maggie Nelson isn't satisfied either, not with the conclusion of the trial, not with the endings, the "red parts", that litter her life. Undeterred, she examines them resolutely throughout this concise memoir. Short and strong.