A Guide for Murdered Children

by Sarah Sparrow

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

A Guide for Murdered Children is a genre defying book. I had no real expectations when I began reading it and was completely unfamiliar with the author. I also try to avoid looking at reviews before I am finished with a book and have my own review mostly completed, so I had quite a lot of difficulty in getting into sync with the narrative and, frankly, understanding what was going on before about 50%. The premise is quite creative, it's just that the prose was so very difficult for me to read and understand. I didn't find the host (landlord) characters particularly sympathetic, and Willow Wylde (bizarre name) was off putting to say the least.

The book -is- full of unpleasantness and rape, abuse, murder (of children and others). It's ostensibly a revenge book, which would normally work for me, but in this case it's muddled and confused and I couldn't follow a lot of what was going on, and the bits I understood clearly didn't move me much. There was a huge *squick* factor for me because the kids were 'rooming' with adults who were acting like adults... if I had a child sharing my mind/body, I would be hyper aware of doing adult things with them present...

As others have stated, this is a polarizing book. Readers seem to love it or hate it. I really believe the author has prodigious creativity and talent. There is huge potential here. With a gifted/committed editor this novel could be mind-blowing.

I could definitely see this book becoming a phenomenon and I feel like I probably wasn't cool enough to 'get it'. (I admit, I've had problems with other books that my bookish friends *gasp* and swoon over). Definitely difficult themes and a difficult narrative.

Stats:
Title: A Guide for Murdered Children
Author: Sarah Sparrow
Publisher: Penguin - Blue Rider Press
Publication: 20 March, 2018
500pages, Hardcover and ebook format

Three stars

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher.