Review by minimicropup - Death of a Bookseller

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

Main POVs 👌: Dual perspectives with subtle changes to the first-person narrative (deep in their mind type)

A bookseller in their 20s. They are struggling to cope with a family member’s death being in the annals of true crime. They are popular and outgoing but also judgmental, obsessive, and resentful. They cope through social drinking and writing poetry about victims of crime.
A bookseller in their 20s. They are socially obtuse and feeling unheard, unloved, and unseen. They are optimistic and forgiving, but also judgmental, obsessive, and resentful. They cope with their situation by immersing themselves in true crime and all things morbid and macabre.

Atmosphere 👌: Immersive, grim, and intense

Cred Rating: Realistic

Relatable portrayals of how we see (and judge) others based on appearance, hygiene, lifestyle, interests, and sociability (and how sometimes those judgements aren’t wrong!) with realistic consequences of those beliefs and actions.

Growls, Howls, and Tail Wags 🐺🐕:

Excellent commentary on true crime consumption. It’s subtle but direct. We aren’t forced to take a side or declare one outlook correct above all others, but it made me think about who has the “right” to talk about true crime and share those stories.
This is a character-driven story that centers on two MCs who are very different, yet very similar in how they view people that fall outside of their “circles”. Both assume they are in the right, and as the reader we have moments where we empathize with or are horrified (even disgusted) by the MCs. Since the narrators are both relatable and unlikeable, you don’t need to “like” one or “hate” the other to stay engaged with the story. That said, if you aren’t a fan of character-driven stories this may be too slow or difficult to get through.
Mild cliffhanger ending. It didn’t break the story or frustrate me – it just made me wish there were more pages after the end!

Reading Journey ☺️: Curled up in a comfy reading nook, lost-in-another-world time-warp.

Mood Reading Match-Up:

Character studies of adults in their 20s still figuring out who they are and who they want to be
Thought-provoking commentary on true crime using symbolism, irony, and realistic consequences and reactions
Retail literary/contemporary drama with touches of unrequited love (and unrequited like), shame spirals, and finding your people
Creepy, discomforting suspense with “stuck together”, “did they or didn’t they?”, “stalker/obsession” tropes

Vibes: 🫢😧🤗

Content Heads-Up: Binge-drinking and self-medicating with alcohol. Death of a parent. Stalking and obsession.

Format: Library Digital via Libby

This was one of my Favourite Books of 2023 😍

Content Warnings