How to Kill Men and Get Away with It by Katy BrentMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
2.5 stars
I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review
The colour palette of death is really rather pretty.
With a little bit of Dexter and Promising Young Woman, How to Kill Men and Get Away with It was a pop culture filled fictional tale of an Instagram influencer murdering men who sexually assault women as a cathartic release. Kitty Collins is the heiress of her family's slaughterhouse business but shuns that legacy as she makes money from posting about her brunches, traveling, and vegan lifestyle on Instagram. The beginning has her commenting on brands and how many followers her friends have, setting her up to appear vacuous. Told all from her point-of-view, there's a definite tint of cynicism and bubbling anger and hurt underneath it all and when a creep follows her home from the bar and winds up dead, her reaction makes it obvious the title isn't just click bait.
Perfect boobs. Perfect life. I guess that's my 'brand'.
The beginning of this kept me locked in as I was trying to figure Kitty out, was she a Dexter like character that had been warped and shaped by her trauma, an unreliable narrator, or a simple sociopath that reveled in their means and opportunity? The story leads you a couple ways and used certain characters, like a love interest named Charlie that comes in around midway and not revealing an obvious more to the story about Kitty's missing father, to keep the reader never quite certain about some things. It was a little after the halfway mark and ending that I thought the wheels kind of came off and I thought the story lost the plot of what it might have been trying.
He cannot know that I'm the hunter here. He needs to believe he's in control.
Bringing Charlie in, did bring out a different layer of Kitty and I think probably humanized her to readers that were less willing to go along with the macabre farce of Kitty's extracurricular activities but I think he ultimately ended up falling flat after a couple late ending reveals. There was also a later sexual scene that had him questioning if they got hot over some sexual assault stories that didn't land right for me, not hitting the mark of early dark humor that worked. I also thought the stalker messaging Kitty throughout the story had a very wheels fell off reveal and ending. Sexual assault is a tough one to approach with dark humor and while I thought the beginning got it, the ending went south (what was with having a late, quick, oh the character lied about her assault??).
There's an unspoken rule between us that we don't talk about The Thing. Talking could crack the veneer.
This took place in London and had a ton of pop culture references, as an American I still understood the majority but there were a few that went on by me; the contemporary additives feel like this story is going to get dated very quickly. You'll also have to go along with the supposed to be dark humor and not question how things like cellphone GPS doesn't apparently exist in this world and Kitty has been able to get away with her side gig. I liked the first half with it's ghoulish poking humor but the second half's tone didn't land right and some of the reveals had the plot's wheels falling off.
I wonder if this could be done better as a historical.
ReplyDeleteEither way, I notice that these "women get even" books are popping up more recently--or maybe I'm noticing them more lately, and they've always been there?
I'm a fan of dark humor and if the plot points and tone and held together at the end, I would have really enjoyed it. You just have to be willing to not take the getting away with it seriously, forensic professionals probably should stay away, lol.
DeleteThe popularity of Dexter a few years back really popped them up and then I think the MeToo movement had people wanting to get women in on the action. I'd be really interested in books like this, starring women, that were published earlier than 2010.
I would be interested to know how they would play; I have an idea that in most, the woman would be considered definitely evil, not morally ambiguous, let alone righteous, regardless of motivation.
DeleteRe: #MeToo, I was thinking more of oh, during the last year, maybe two? But then, I sometimes am so far outside "what everybody knows", that they may have well been published by the dozen before that, I just remained unaware until more recently.
I hope we see more because I love the concept. Probably hear from the usual suspects about the moral and ethical ramifications of such a woman character but pssh to them.
DeleteI am more ambivalent, because vigilantism is precisely what the white supremacists want: for them to enforce it against racial/religious/gender lines, and for everyone else to be prosecuted and executed for it.
DeleteBut I would love to see treatment of women's revenge where the heroine is aware of the dangers of believing herself 100% morally justified, and therefore keeps the stopping line firmly in sight. Dark humor would be a plus for sure, otherwise it could easily be a depressing slog.
[There's a line in Agatha Christie's Curtain, where Poirot says, more or less, that "the effect of killing on the murderer is terrible and long lasting", that kind of reflects my thinking here: once that constraint is gone, what's to stop escalation from 'justified' (the murderer, the wife batterer, the pedophile) to indulgent ('he muttered a racial slur/told a sexist joke/looked at me funny'); so I keep hoping to find a book that explores this to my satisfaction.]
This deals with the danger of vigilantism when the main character kills someone they thought was someone else but this also, started off anyway, not the place to draw think pieces from.
DeleteIt's in the framework and style for me if it works. This started off an obvious don't take seriously, slasher fun and while I understand the dangers of such works, there has to be some reading comprehension employed too. I go to different formats and places for critical thinking, analytical pieces for topics, it's like saying to your friends "all men suck", I don't believe All men truly suck but I need that release valve of saying it and commiserating with friends. Makes it possible to not get dragged down when the work has to be done, for me anyway..
My apologies.
DeleteI didn't mean "we" directed at you but more in general conversations and my saying it had a vigilantism little moment wasn't to justify or excuse the story in other ways, I just was like, oops, I should say it did have an additive towards this note.
DeleteI'm sorry if my comment came off harsh, I went quick brevity posting. I never get mad at other views and never expect to have any agree with me a hundred percent. We've talked about before enjoying other opinions and having different things pointed out that didn't think about personally while reading. This book was pretty unserious overall and I was like please don't waste time think piecing it to white supremacy vigilantism, but obviously do if you want to.
Oh, no worries; I do tend to overthink things, and can use the occasional reminder to take things lightly.
DeleteI have a sickness for revenge thrillers with female leads and I'm half tempted by this. Something to ponder. Two books that land in this spectrum that really worked for me were Jane Doe by Victoria Helen Stone (it does have touches of dark humor) and Pretty Little Wife by Darby Kane (more straight-up suspense, not really humorous...)
ReplyDeleteI have both of those on my tbr, I had Jane Doe on my Halloween Bingo list last year but couldn't make it to it. I love books like this, dark humor is my coping mechanism and I really think reading about murderous women makes my skin glow.
DeleteI can send you my copy of this if you want? I also have an extra copy of Falling Hard for the Royal Guard if you want that too. Just email at whiskeyinthejar30@gmail.com
Err, these are physical copies, so I'd need your address if that wasn't clear
DeleteUgh, sorry. I meant to respond to your offer days ago - and well, here we are! Thank your for the offer, but I'm good! I have a digital copy of Falling Hard for the Royal Guard and one my library cards will hook me up with How to Kill Men.
DeleteNo problem, I answer back in my head a fair amount before I realize oops, lol. I kind of figured, as a librarian, you'd probably wouldn't have a problem getting them but wanted to make sure to offer :)
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