'How To Kill Your Family' - A review

Book Review: 'How To Kill Your Family' by Bella Mackie - a criminal protagonist you hate to love.

Any and all true crime lovers will absolutely froth over this novel by Bella Mackie. This is the type of story that makes you fall in love with the criminal, even if you know the crime is objectively wrong - or is it? Mackie weaves through the fine line between 'good' and 'bad', twisting a tale of crimes into the life of Grace Bernard where every page will leave you shocked. Soon to be turned into a Netflix series, is it worth it to read the book?

First Impressions

I won't lie. I struggled reading it at first. The descriptions are lengthy and so are the chapters. It was torment to get through each page at first. However, Mackie's style of writing grew on me and each chapter felt less and less daunting. Her flowery writing style may be preferable if you enjoy imagining every single detail in each scene, creating a rich and vibrant story. Unfortunately, I have now learnt this was not for me.

What I Loved

As mentioned previously, this is a character you will hate to love. Every crime she commits will leave you flabbergasted. Her methods seem madness and absolutely insane but it creates a lasting impression of Grace Bernard. Moreover, she is developed and created in such detail that she truly comes alive on the page. It is hard not to sympathize with her despite literally murdering her family (as stated in the title).

What I Did Not Love

The story is told in a non-linear format. Each chapter jumps from one moment in time to another. Whilst this way of storytelling is great for building suspense and creating intrigue, it does make the story difficult to follow. The book is told from the point of view of Grace Bernard who is writing her memories whilst in prison. Every chapter is dedicated to one important moment in Grace's life. This makes some chapters very long and others not long at all. I found myself not only losing steam through reading one chapter but also forgetting what had happened previously in the story as each chapter did not directly link to the next.

The Final Verdict

Personally, the lengthy descriptive style of writing coupled with a non-linear plot made this book very hard to enjoy unfortunately. If you are a true crime fan then you may be able to get pass this hurdle (if it is one for you) and really get into the depths of the great criminal mind that is Grace. This is an amazing character that I would love to watch on the big screen.

If you have read 'How To Kill Your Family' by Bella Mackie let me know what you thought in the comment section below.