A review by breanneporter
My Murder by Katie Williams

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This is fun and extremely engrossing; I read as often as I could until I finished, and I thought about it in between reading sessions. It follows a woman and young wife/mother, Louise, in a technologically-advanced future where she has recently been murdered and brought back to life by a corporation that clones you and reuploads your consciousness and memories into the new version of your body. It’s mysterious; about half way through, she learns something new about the circumstances of her murder and starts a search for understanding. It’s riveting and thought-provoking, dealing head on with various conceptions of the self. 

I’m knocking off just half a point because of how I’m left feeling after the ending.
It answers the most pressing questions in a fairly surprising reveal but I’m still left wanting at the end, mostly due to the tone/what felt like an over-the-top desire to force a happy ending. There’s a lot of build up to not a lot of action, and I just think our narrator’s perspective, which had felt complex and relatable throughout thr novel, got suddenly clear and confident and optimistic in a way that belayed very little residual trauma from finding out you were a clone of a person who faked their own murder and still exists on the world.  The last few chapters just felt like a voiceover at the end of a romcom where, after previously having many complicated feelings, the main character lays out a simplified version of her happily ever after. I mean I really need to know more about Silas. How in the world is he seemingly unencumbered by the fact that the woman he’s with now is the clone of the woman who faked her own murder in order to leave him and their baby, like?? Overall as a character Silas was a bit half-baked (really nice guy and good dad is basically all we got?) and the reveal really highlights that for me. I wish we had gotten more of his and Odd’s perspectives because what an utterly insane situation that they were both in. Anyway I think I just wanted more!


Overall, highly recommend for a very fun and interesting reading journey!
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