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A review by eldritchreader
Double Lives by Kate McCaffrey
2.0
A story that dives head-first into issues of true-crime media and how issues such as gender identity and victim blaming, Double Lives is an ambitious book about controversial topics. Following in the footsteps of other fictional crime such as Sadie and A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, McCaffrey seems to be writing for the fans of true crime podcasting and investigative journalism, media that is undoubtedly in the spotlight in modern culture.
Overall, Double Lives is well-paced and engaging. The narrative switches between podcast transcripts and the journey of lead journalist, Amy Rhinehart, as she develops her investigative podcast series. A central topic of Double Lives is that the murder victim is a trans woman, something that is heavily discussed and considered throughout the story. While McCaffrey stated in an interview she spoke with transgender people as part of her research and employed a sensitivity reader, it should be noted that this is a book with incredibly tough discussions from a cisgender perspective. The transgender discussion appeared mindful, however, no concrete opinion will be given on how it was handled in this review. Please seek out reviews from transgender reviewers. Overall this is a book that strikes the heart of interest in modern media and is a quick read for those who enjoy fictional stories about podcasting and "true" crime.
Note: Review copy received from publicist. This does not impact opinions within this review.
becandbooks.com ‧ trigger warning database ‧ book depository ‧ more links
Overall, Double Lives is well-paced and engaging. The narrative switches between podcast transcripts and the journey of lead journalist, Amy Rhinehart, as she develops her investigative podcast series. A central topic of Double Lives is that the murder victim is a trans woman, something that is heavily discussed and considered throughout the story. While McCaffrey stated in an interview she spoke with transgender people as part of her research and employed a sensitivity reader, it should be noted that this is a book with incredibly tough discussions from a cisgender perspective. The transgender discussion appeared mindful, however, no concrete opinion will be given on how it was handled in this review. Please seek out reviews from transgender reviewers. Overall this is a book that strikes the heart of interest in modern media and is a quick read for those who enjoy fictional stories about podcasting and "true" crime.
→ trigger warnings: murder, death of mother mentioned, transmisia discussed, transmisic language, & slurs, misgendering, dead naming, homomisia, queermisisa, religious bigotry, suicide mentioned, self injury (specifically cutting) mentioned
Note: Review copy received from publicist. This does not impact opinions within this review.
becandbooks.com ‧ trigger warning database ‧ book depository ‧ more links