'How to Kill Your Family' by Bella Mackie

What do you do when your father betrays you? Move on in silence? Not Grace Bernard. Instead, she's going to kill his whole family.

How to Kill Your Family (2021) by Bella Mackie is a novel I lapped up in no time at all. The whole premise intrigued me, despite getting extremely odd looks from the public for picking up such a title. I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy seeing people freak out a little watching me smile at myself as I read through. 

The novel follows the life of Grace, who lost her birth mother and was forced to live with a childhood friend's family. Now she's old enough, she can get revenge on the father who abandoned them - Simon Artemis. A corrupt, rich business man with a new wife and daughter, he must suffer for his actions. With careful planning, Grace is set to kill them off, one by one. 

I enjoyed the voice of this novel which was sarcastic, blunt and witty. I liked that Grace is non-conventional in the way she does not understand influencer culture or the need to show off wealth. She's the kind of woman who is rough, ready and wants to get the job done. Mackie very accurately depicts modern society and almost mocks the way we reward vanity and ignore the dodgy sex clubs around Soho. Characters like Simon, Janine and Bryony exposed how even the richest people have deep issues.

It was a fun read because Grace takes us along with her on the entire journey and explains the murders in detail. I found them all to be clever and humorously creative. The ending of the novel was unexpected but shows us that seeking revenge and closure is not always the best option. Sometimes, things are out of our control. Grace did some horrible things, but her motivations are understandable. I finished the novel hoping she would find peace and have a good life. She deserves to. 

I have heard that Bella Mackie's second novel is in the making. It can't come quick enough!