Full of twists and turns, It’s 1965 in a tight-knit working-class neighborhood in Queens, New York, and Ruth Malone–a single mother who works long hours as a cocktail waitress–wakes to discover her two small children, Frankie Jr. and Cindy, have gone missing. Later that day, Cindy’s body is found in a derelict lot a half mile from her home, strangled. Ten days later, Frankie Jr.’s decomposing body is found. Immediately, all fingers point to Ruth. As police investigate the murders, the detritus of Ruth’s life is exposed. Seen through the eyes of the cops, the empty bourbon bottles and provocative clothing which litter her apartment, the piles of letters from countless men and Ruth’s little black book of phone numbers, make her a drunk, a loose woman–and therefore a bad mother. The lead detective, a strict Catholic who believes women belong in the home, leaps to the obvious conclusion: facing divorce and a custody battle, Malone took her children’s lives. Pete Wonicke is a rookie tabloid reporter who finagles an assignment to cover the murders. Determined to make his name in the paper, he begins digging into the case. Pete’s interest in the story develops into an obsession with Ruth, and he comes to believe there’s something more to the woman whom prosecutors, the press, and the public have painted as a promiscuous femme fatale. Did Ruth Malone violently kill her own children, is she a victim of circumstance–or is there something more sinister at play?
☼
Another book that made me terribly angry! A great story, no doubt, but so incredibly unfair. And yet, I can’t seem to stop reading this kind of books, as you all know I’m a masochist. Little Deaths (I ADORE the title!) instantly caught my attention. It was set in the 60s and the blurb seemed like it would be a real page-turner. Plus, feminism.
Because this book had such a unique plot! It’s a mystery, sure, but it’s also a tale about sexism and double standards. About police corruption and news stories. About judging people without knowing the whole story. And this is exactly what happens to Ruth, the main character of Little Deaths.
Ruth is an independent woman: she’s separated from her husband and has two kids, aged four and five. She sleeps with whoever she wants, she drinks, she smokes… so when her two kids disappear, she’s the one everyone suspects. But why? Just because they don’t like her. Because the men around her (and the women!) don’t think she’s the kind of woman she should be. And what can you possibly do when you’ve got everyone against you? The theme reminded me a bit of Noah Hawley’s Before The Fall and my verdict is that public opinion is the worst. If they were cruel to a man, imagine it’s a woman in the 60s.
Only a couple of people seem to believe her, and one of them is Pete Wonicke, a young journalist who becomes a bit obsessed with her. To be honest, I didn’t like Pete at all, as I felt he was only trying to help because he felt attracted to her. The one I liked the most was Gina, but I also felt so sorry for Ruth. She wasn’t particularly likable, but I hated how everyone just assumed she was a bad mother just because she wasn’t like the others. She might not be crying for the cameras, but have you even considered that she might be dealing with this her own way? Ugh, people.
I found this a fast-paced read (there’s a lot of dialogue), and it was also super well-written. I especially loved the opening chapter, where we learn about Ruth’s present (the prison) and her past (what happened before), as it was written in a very unique way. The story that followed in Little Deaths was told from a third-person omniscient point of view, which means that we get to know what everyone else around Ruth is thinking. I liked that, although I didn’t feel so connected with the characters as a result.
I’m proud to say I did love Little Deaths‘ ending. The conclusion felt fitting and it also left me quite shaken, which I always love. Those are the best stories, don’t you think? I really recommend this book, as it deals with an important topic and might make you think.
P.S This would make an extraordinary film.
Picador, 2017 // ARC
I love your review. I have to read this! I do the same thing to myself. Read so many dark books. Can’t seem to help myself.
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Haha I love getting angry, you see 😛
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My review for this is up today too haha! Totally agree with you, as much as I didn’t always like Ruth I felt for her. She was so judged and critiqued by everyone it was awful. The ending was great, I loved that. Awesome review.
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Oh! Will read it soon, I’ve been a bit busy these days. Ruth wasn’t super nice, but you can’t judge someone like that, they were awful. The ending was tragic and perfect
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No rush 😘😘
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I’m really intrigued by the time period and premise of this book. At first I thought you were going to rate this low:) Just reading your review I really want to know if she did it or not (her present location is prison??..makes me wonder). Going on my TBR which before your review I might’ve passed this one by!!
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Hahaha I know, I was misleading. The way people behaved made me angry, but the story was fantastic! I had my doubts…
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Reading the description,I couldn’t help but notice the similarities between this and another book that you reviewed although that had an institution I think.This sounds good despite the tough theme of feminism.I’m intrigued.
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Yes, The Ballroom! Haha Different stories but similar themes, no doubt… It’s a good one!
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I have this on my kindle waiting patiently. I’m really intrigued about this book and it’s getting a lot of good reviews. Great review, thanks.
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Can’t wait to see what you think, it’s a really good book!
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For some reason I came up as anonymous then .
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Very compelling review. I will not read this book as it will irritate me but this is a very good review.
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Haha It is irritating sometimes!
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I agree that it’s a great title for a book! The time period and reading about topics like racism and feminism aren’t really my thing so I’m going to skip this one, but I’m sure it’s a very good read. Great review again.
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Hahaha It could’ve happened now, but if you don’t like those topics then you will probably not enjoy it that much 😛
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I LOVE the sound of this! You make it sound so interesting, I’m really curious to find out what happened to the kids. I like that they are dealing with public opinions in it too, which I agree it’s absolutely the worse. Your review is fantastic and this sounds good so it’s going on my TBR! 🙂
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Thank you Amanda! It is interesting, I was very curious as well… it has a great ending in my opinion!
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Yours is the second super positive review of Little Deaths I’ve read today. I already had it on my TBR list, but now I really want to get to it soon. Great review!
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This was very different from my last reads and I really enjoyed it!! I hope you decide to read it 😀
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I have this one to read and I read your opening sentence with a sinking feeling but I think I will enjoy it too, especially if it has a good ending, so important.
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Hahaha When a book makkes me angry in a good way, I think it’s a good one! I want to feel things!
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I’ve got this on my shelf, now I’m excited to read it!
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I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!!!
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Great review! But I gotta admit, someone who sleeps around and gets drunk all the time doesn’t sound like ideal parent material to me, whether male or female!! 😉
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*Immediately adds to TBR* I love the title of this one too! I suspect there’d be a lot of points where I wanted to throw the book at the wall (sexism angers me like nothing else), and it sounds like it’d be pretty frustrating seeing what Ruth goes through, but I still really want to read it! 🙂
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The title is fantastic! You will want to throw the book at the wall, I can assure you haha But it’s a great one!
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Wow, this deals with some heavy subjects! I’m glad you mentioned a good ending, I’m so tired of books letting me down at the end!! Great review 🙂
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Yes, FINALLY. I loved the ending!
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You and Amy haha! You ladies simply need to stop with this. My TBR is going to explode ❤ I am stoked to see that the ending seems to have set well. Always a big plus in my book. This author should be stoked because two stellar reviews this week 😉
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Hahahaha ❤ We read so many similar books!
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I love it when fiction incites emotional response. Oh, the power of the book!
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Great review! While I didn’t love the book, I think that you bring up a good point in that it could make for a great movie.
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You didn’t like it? Or just didn’t love it? I agree that it’s not a book that would appeal to everyone, but I really enjoyed it!
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