I genuinely don’t know how I feel about “Love Letters to a Serial Killer.” It’s a unique story where you are in the head of a person who is clearly not doing well in their personal life and tries to find meaning through other people. She then puts any excitement and “living her life” onto an alleged serial killer, writing letters to him in jail and during his trial.
The main character is unlikable, as are most of the characters are in this book, but I was fascinated by the story and her unreliability. At times her character is definitely satirical, like a hyped up unhinged version of stories you’ve heard about who idolize killers, but she also feels like someone you might know.
The lies she tells herself to rationalize and choices she makes… I just couldn’t stop listening because I had to know what hole she was going to dig herself into next. I agree with another reviewer who said it reminded them of “Yellowface” by R. F. Kuang because in both books you are in the main character’s mind and you see all the ways they justify what are clearly terrible and unethical decisions. “Love Letters to a Serial Killer” was overall fascinating and I would recommend it.
Three words that describe this book: Unhinged, Obsession, Binge-worthy
You might want to pick this book up if: You are interested in true crime, but more interested in the psyche of those people who are super obsessed with serial killers.
-Taira
This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. We will continue to share them throughout the year.
