The Book Bump

First published: 2021
Author: Bella Mackie
Language: English
Genre: Thriller, Dark Comedy
My rating: 2/5

How to Kill My Family is Bella Mackie’s debut novel.

When a young Grace Bernard discovers her father, a wealthy businessman, rejected her dying mother’s pleas for help, she vows to get revenge on the Artemis clan. However, Grace is wrongfully imprisoned for a murder she didn’t commit. During her time at Limestone Prison, Grace decides to ‘regale’ the reader with her real crimes; that’s to say, readers get a front-row seat as Grace details every murder she committed.

Throughout the book, we are given the rundown of Grace’s life, from when she was a child living with her mother to her incarceration. She had a somewhat tough upbringing because she and her mother were relatively poor, but she never lacked affection. After losing her mother, she is fostered by her best friend’s family. They welcome her with open arms, and she only complains about them. Grace seems to resent everyone who has ever tried to care about her, and she keeps everyone at arm’s length.

Grace is presented as an anti-hero, but I found it difficult to connect with her. She is self-involved, judgmental, and largely unchanged throughout the story. While a reader doesn’t need to like the protagonist, there still needs to be engagement with her journey, and for me, that didn’t happen. Her motivations for revenge, while extreme, felt far-fetched, and her character development was minimal.

The premise of a darkly humorous thriller had promise, but the execution was uneven. The story is predictable at times, and much of the tension is diluted by Grace’s narrative style, which often veers into lengthy commentary on society. These passages, while perhaps intended to be witty or reflective, slowed the pacing and distracted from the central plot.

The climax and ending were anticlimactic for me. The sudden introduction of a new character late in the story felt jarring, and the resolution didn’t deliver the sense of payoff I had hoped for.

Mackie’s writing shows potential, but the diary format led to more “telling” than “showing,” particularly in the crime sequences. Some of the humour relies on repeated stereotypes, which didn’t resonate and felt forced at times. That said, the book does attempt a darkly comedic tone, and some passages are clever, even if unevenly applied.

I can see what the author was aiming for—a darkly humorous, character-driven thriller with a twist—but for me, the novel didn’t quite hit the mark. The protagonist’s underdeveloped character, combined with pacing issues and an anticlimactic ending, made it a frustrating read. That said, readers who enjoy quirky, morally complex anti-heroes might find more to enjoy than I did.