Genre: Psychological Fiction
Publisher: Self-Published
Published: 27th April 2019
Reviewed: 12th December 2019
Blurb
A perfect life, a perfect love – and a perfect murder.
For over forty years Carol Cage has been living as a recluse in her mansion, Oaktree House. Fear is her constant companion. She’s been keeping a secret – and it’s about to be unearthed.
When she receives a compulsory purchase order for her home, she knows that everyone is going to find out what she did to survive her darkest weeks in 1970. She writes her confession so that we can understand what happened because she wasn’t the only one living a lie. The events that turned her fairy-tale life into a living hell were not all they seemed.
She’s determined not to pay for the mistakes of others; if she has to suffer, then they will too.
Carol Cage has a terrible secret … and she’s about to exact retribution on everyone who’d let her suffer.
My Review
Killing the Girl is a creepy and uncanny debut by the wonderfully talented writer, Elizabeth Hill. Written in first-person, I was immediately sucked into the eerie world of the protagonist, Carol Cage, as the events of her past began to close in on her. But true to its genre, nothing is as it first seems in this claustrophobic psychological thriller, where the author’s choice of surname for her main character acts as a subtle motif, hinting at the overall sense of caginess and entrapment.
The author’s depiction of Carol growing up as a teenager in the 1970s was absolutely spot on; it was like being transported back in time through a time-machine! The young Carol was vibrant and feisty, rejecting social expectations that 1970s Britain placed on women; but the young Carol is also naïve and trusting and has been sheltered from the horrors of the real world – including things that have gone on in her own family. As Carol negotiates life as a young woman in love, she is left to discover and experience the shocking truth for herself. But just when Carol thinks things cannot get any worse, she is proved wrong as her recollection of what happened on that fateful day is put to the test when even more horrific details are discovered. And as more and more is revealed, we see the protagonist become more and more unstable and paranoid before the Girl inside is put to rest.
I absolutely loved this original storyline. As much as I love psychological thrillers, a lot of them can be very samey but Killing the Girl is unique in terms of both plot and narrative style. The narrative is rich in indirect thought and Hill’s voice is convincing to the point that at times, the story felt like a memoir. The combination of the strong literary element, emphasising the protagonist’s inner journey, alongside the striking and twisty plot that deals with uncomfortable issues, reminded me of Arundhati Roy’s 1997 Booker Prize winner The God of Small Things. Killing the Girl is definitely a winner for me and I can’t wait to read more from the wonderfully talented Elizabeth Hill.
Thank you to the author,
for a Review Copy of this book
in return for an honest and unbiased review.
About the Author
After a career Credit Management and Litigation, Elizabeth is now a full-time novelist. Her books explore the reasons why ordinary women kill. What pushes women to their limit of endurance and sanity? And could that woman be you? Her debut novel is about a young girl who makes mistakes because of the confusing messages and expectations of 1970's society. She pays for those mistakes in a devastating way! Elizabeth is working on two other novels: 'Killing The Shadowman' and 'Missing Lana'
Author's website: Wickedwritersite.wordpress.com
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