Reviews with content warning for Self harm - Death of a Bookseller

Morbidly atmospheric yet thoroughly mesmerising, Alice Slater’s debut cleverly delves into the world of True Crime, and the problematic exploitation of real crime (and the deaths of real people) for entertainment.

Told from the perspectives of two very different but equally unlikable characters, Death of A Bookseller is a suspenseful tale of toxic relationships, and obsession that follows the lives of two booksellers at a struggling bookstore in Walthamstow.

Purple haired and fascinated by virtually anything macabre, serial-killer fanatic Roach is quite possibly one of the (very few) characters to ever make me feel soo uncomfortable.

With an uncanny ability to say the wrong thing (and genuinely just creep everyone out with her laser like fixation on death) Roach is a bit of a loner, which she seems perfectly happy about until Laura joins the branch, a model employee who manages to charm everyone around her. Including Roach, who, after hearing one of Laura’s poems at a mic night (in which she aims to honour the victims of violent crime instead of dehumanising them) believes she has found a kindred spirit and becomes obsessed with the idea of their friendship.

But Laura (our other POV) and the object of Roach’s obsession has no interest in being friends with her. Having suffered from the trauma of losing her mother at the hands of a serial killer, Laura is physically repulsed by Roach’s fascination with serial killers and avoids all overtures of friendship.

I did find her perspective for more palatable to digest, but she’s by no means good or likeable either. She can be selfish, jealous and incredibly petty at times (particularly when it came to co-worker Eli and his relationship with girlfriend Lydia) but her ability to project herself as a happy, almost perfect person despite the messy, emotional wreckage of her private life was incredibly intriguing.

And the unease with which they circle one another coupled with their conflicting opinions on True Crime really injected a sinister layer of tension that had me on edge wondering what would happen next.

It is a bit of a slow-burn, but the creeping uncertainty that pervades every inch of both Laura and Roach’s POV really brought a sense of depth and realism to their characters, and the cat and mouse game that unfolds between them. For a while there I wasn’t sure how things would end but I couldn’t look away from the cringey disaster that began hurtling towards us as both their lives (and obsessions) began spiralling out of control.

I loved the grittiness of Alice Slater’s writing and true rich imagery that such mundane everyday tasks manage conjure and I definitely enjoyed the glimpse into life as a bookseller. Also, I would’ve loved to have seen more of Bleep (Roach’s pet snail) though I did enjoy the snail trail chapter openers that follow along with the story.

The ending was also really good and I enjoyed the open-endedness which allows us to come up with our own interpretations. Though if you prefer your thrillers with more finality and closure then you may come away a little disappointed.

Overall a dark, intense and incredibly compulsive read that needs to be experienced to be fully appreciated but if you enjoy dark, character driven psychological thrillers the I definitely recommend picking this up!

Also a huge thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and Steven Cooper for the incredible physical proof.

Content Warnings

heidirgreen's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I really enjoyed this book. Alice Slater tells the story of two young women we all know - Laura, a poetry writing, brogue wearing, blonde bobbed Swifty, and Roach, a purple-haired, true crime obsessive. Their paths intertwine at a local branch of Spines, which feels very Waterstones to me, and we watch as their stories unfold.

The book is written from both Laura and Roach’s perspectives, and their voices are distinct - something very tricky to do. I enjoyed that the audio was narrated by two different actors too. I didn’t like either of the characters, but felt closer to Laura, maybe because she spills more emotion, maybe because I also own book-related tote bags. Either way, despite feeling closer to Laura, at no point did I skim through Roach’s chapters. Usually when books are written in this style I find myself favouring one narrator over the other, but Slater has managed to create two main characters that contribute equally to the story.
The supporting cast are well-formed, I could also smell the essential oils when reading about Shirona, and Eli was exactly the sort of cool, curly haired bookseller that I expected.

I would have loved to have heard more from the older booksellers, and I could see follow ups to this book from the perspective of other characters in a similar way to Rachel Joyce’s Harold Fry series.

I cannot wait to see what Alice Slater writes next.

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