Blurb:

What if the murder you had to solve was your own?

Lou is a happily married mother of an adorable toddler. She’s also the victim of a local serial killer. Recently brought back to life and returned to her grieving family by a government project, she is grateful for this second chance. But as the new Lou re-adapts to her old routines, and as she bonds with other female victims, she realizes that disturbing questions remain about what exactly preceded her death and how much she can really trust those around her.

Now it’s not enough to care for her child, love her husband, and work the job she’s always enjoyed—she must also figure out the circumstances of her death. Darkly comic, tautly paced, and full of surprises, My Murder is a devour-in-one-sitting, clever twist on the classic thriller.

Review:

Overview

This book was never on my radar, but my IRL book club selected it for November’s book for us to read. I will admit as much as I try to push sci-fi or fantasy it's always a tough sell for this group of women. However, when a sci-fi book about cloning was chosen I was flabbergasted! I hoped this would convince them sci-fi is a worthy genre to pick up (which I know reading it on this blog is speaking to the choir). 

I wasn’t sure if I would like this based on the blurb. However, after reading this, I realized the book summary is poorly done. This book isn’t a thriller, instead, its main focus is exploring trauma and our sense of self by centering on Louise and the other murder victims.

World

This novel is set in the near future, where self-driving cars and VR are commonly used. Cloning is also an available technology and is overseen by the government. The primary eligibility requirement is the person must be dead. I am not sure if this was the inspiration, but I couldn’t help but think about respawning in Borderlands. Every time you die in the game and respawn, you are reminded that your old clone’s memories were stored in the new one. 

Anyway, I was also interested in how much VR played a role in this novel. The main character plugs into a VR room and meets with clients to give them comfort. It's completely platonic. However, it's a great way of showing the lack of connection in this society where people are paying for solace. Another area we spend a lot of time in is a new popular video game one of the murder victims created. If you ever played the survival video game, called Friday the 13th: The Game, then you will notice some similarities. Rather than players teaming up to survive a night with Jason, in this game players play as the murder victims,m while another player is Edward Early, the serial killer. It's a twisted concept for a cash grab, but another example of our fascination and excitement around serial killers. I also loved how the players impacted the dynamic of the game later on in the story. 

Characters

Through Louise, there is a big question of our sense of self. She has all the memories from the original Louise, but the thoughts and feelings from these memories were never experienced. It begs the philosophical question on if she is the same person or a new one.  If you know the Ship of Theseus paradox, then this question will dominate your brain while you read this. I appreciated how it made me question this very idea. Reading this story was a great test case of how things could play out if this happened in real life. 

Another theme of this novel is trauma and how people react differently. Louise is trying to better understand her original self, and attempts to move on. While another victim is trying to be the exact opposite of who she was before she died. The third victim created a video game, where she could relive her murder. It's an interesting showcase of how each woman has a completely different reaction to their respawn. My only wish is the author spent a little more time on the other 2 women since they barely had any page time. 

Conclusion

Overall, I like how thought-provoking this novel is. There is a lot shown and not much told, which gives you a chance to absorb and think about each character’s motivations, especially Louise. The sci-fi in this story is quite soft. As much as I appreciate grand epic space battles, I found the futuristic elements Williams gives to discuss trauma, gender, and self were impactful. I also would recommend this if you are looking for a character-driven story. Lastly, in case you were wondering I do have some hope for my IRL book club. Many mentioned how they realized they may like sci-fi and were willing to try other books (which I count as a win!).