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The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

Reading and writing, reading and writing, reading and writing: that's what I hope to keep doing all summer (with some swimming and seeing friends mixed in there too!). Here's another review! This is Stuart Turton's The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, and it's a doozy. 

SUMMARY

THE RULES OF BLACKHEATH
Evelyn Hardcastle will be murdered at 11:00 p.m. There are eight days and eight witnesses for you to inhabit. We will only let you escape once you tell us the name of the killer. Understood? Then let's begin...

Evelyn Hardcastle WILL die. And every day Aiden Bishop WILL try to identify her killer and break this neverending cycle he has somehow found himself in. But every time a new day begins, Aiden inhabits the body of a different guest at Blackheath. Some of Aiden's hosts will be more helpful than others. Some of Aiden's hosts are more capable than others. Some of Aiden's hosts start to overcome Aiden's true personality. Then again, who is Aiden?

Agatha Christie whodunnit + Downton Abbey + Groundhog Day = The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

REVIEW

Woah. That's my first thought on this book now and when I was reading it. Don't get me wrong, I find this book inventive, thrilling, and so confusingly terrific. But, woah. If you are in the middle of this book, keep reading. That's the only advice I can offer in this difficult time for you. Just keep reading. 

Stuart Turton's debut is told in a nonlinear timeline or, rather, the book may be told in the correct timeline, but life at Blackheath - the setting (?still unclear?) - is certainly not linear. I certainly cannot say I enjoyed the nonlinear timeline (or WHATEVER it is) while in the middle and beginning of the book because, during the times when I needed context the most, I found none. 

However, nearing the end of the book, everything became somewhat clear. Unfortunately, that's the best you're going to get for the true plot of this book: somewhat clear. Somewhat clear on the characters and guests. Somewhat clear on what actually happened in the Hardcastle family. Somewhat clear on who kills who. While this notion of "somewhat clear" frustrated me for the longest time while reading the book, upon finishing, the lack of complete clarity adds to the inventive and fantastic mystique Turton's book achieves. The reader must go through hardship along with Aiden. While you will certainly go through struggles reading this book, I strongly suggest you sign on for the adversity. Yes, it is a tough read. A tough one to understand and, honestly, a tough one to start. But I highly recommend you start today. 

Age Range: 16+
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Tags: Stuart Turton, debut novel, murder/death, fall, winter, Downton Abbey, Agatha Christie-esque, Groundhog Day, nonlinear timeline/narrative, adult fiction, fantasy
Format: paperback

*TW: murder, death, alcohol use/abuse, drug use, familial tension*

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