I had high hopes for 'Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead'. I loved the gothic sound of the title. It spoke to me of irredeemable sin and deep guilt. I liked the idea of the story being told through the eyes of a Brit making her living on the US East Coast because it offered so much scope for cultural dissonance, especially when the English-middle-class-girl-made-good is engaged to a New-York-one-per-center. I also liked that this debut novel drew on the experience of the author, at least in terms of settings, so, in addition to a good plot and a lot of tension, I was hoping for relatable characters, an insider view of both the work and academic environments and a strong sense of place.

I actually got everything that I hoped for. The main character, Charlotte (Charlie) Colbert is riven by guilt. The level of disdain that Charlie's soon-to-be mother-in-law feels for Charlie could freeze the planet and the novel delivers an insider's view and a strong sense of place.

So why did I set this novel aside at 33%?

I was overwhelmed by Charlie's anxiety.

The story is told as a first-person account from Charlie's point of view, albeit with a dual 'Now' and 'Then' timeline. Being inside Charlotte's head was stressful. Her anxiety was constant. I could see that I was supposed to empathise with Charlie and feel sorrow for the way that anxiety was crippling her but that wasn't how I felt.

I didn't like Charlie. She saw her new, 'Now', life as something that she's earned through hard work and she feels aggrieved (although not surprised) that the life she's created is being put at risk by a lie she told a decade earlier. The problem I had was that her 'Now' life seemed to me to be an invention, a comforting pretence designed to distract her from the harm her lies did a decade earlier.

Of course, I don't need to like the main character of a story to enjoy a book but I do need to be able to live in her head if she's the one telling the story. I found that I couldn't do that.

'Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead' was an intense well-told story but it was too unremitting for me and there was nothing to compensate me for putting up with the stress. I didn't like Charlie and, by the time I was a third of the way through the book and still had nothing but vague hints about who did what to whom and why in the notorious 'Scarlet Christmas' that is the source of Charlie's guilt, I found I didn't care enough to hang around and find out. What I wanted more than anyhing else was to get Charlie's anxious, self-deceiving, guilty voice out of my head.

It's possible, perhaps even likely, that the things that led me to abandon this book are exactly the things that will make it irresistible to fans of psychological thrillers. Take a listen to the audiobook except below and make your own mind up.

https://soundcloud.com/macaudio-2/everyone-who-can-forgive-me-is-dead-by-jenny-h...

Charlotte (Charlie) Colbert is a successful editor-in-chief at a magazine, engaged to a handsome and wealthy man, Tripp. However, she is hiding a devastating secret. Nine years earlier, while enrolled in journalism grad school, several students were pronounced dead-an event known as "Scarlet Christmas". Charlie fled from her life after this, and believes she killed them. In therapy, she tries to come to grips with her life, then. Her BFF Cate, her lover Jordan, and his jealous friend, Elise. Steph, Cate's sister, Dee (Tripp's girlfriend at the time) and Gunnar, another friend were all there, too. Charlie has rebuilt her life, but can't escape the guilt. Now, a film of the events is coming out, and she needs to stop it.
Dramatic-but I foresaw the ending. ( )

2.5⭐️

Editor-in-chief of a major magazine and engaged to a member of an affluent and influential family, Charlie Colbert has a seemingly perfect life. But when one of her former graduate school classmates decides to make a movie about the tragic events that transpired on Christmas Eve nine years ago – an event dubbed ”Scarlet Christmas “ by the Press - that resulted in the deaths of three of her classmates, leaving Charlie and other survivors traumatized, she is fearful that the movie, based on a book written about the tragedy, will upend the life she has so meticulously rebuilt. Charlie had distanced herself from her former friends after the tragedy but now not only will she have to reach out to them to prevent the movie from being made but also have to revisit her past to fill in the gaps in memories from that night.

To be honest, I liked the premise of Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead by Jenny Hollander more than the execution. Up until the halfway mark, I was enjoying the writing and found the plot intriguing. However, as the narrative progressed, the inconsistent pacing, repetitiveness and poor character development resulted in a less-than-satisfying reading experience. Despite this novel being less than three hundred pages long, it felt much longer, which is never a good thing. None of the characters were particularly interesting (Annoying and Shallow? Yes! Interesting? No). I did feel sorry for Charlie and her struggles, but that’s about it – I think I’m a bit tired of protagonists with foggy memories and dependence on alcohol. The therapy angle should have been better executed. The romantic relationship between Charlie and Tripp felt forced and superficial. Most of the twists felt contrived and I found certain revelations along the way too ridiculous to shock or even surprise me. I’m all for suspension of disbelief, but I found the resolution of the mystery behind “Scarlet Christmas” underwhelming, to say the least. I could go on about how this novel didn’t work for me, but I think I’ll stop here.

In short, I can’t say this was a thrilling read.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. ( )

Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead is Jenny Hollander's debut mystery novel, and I can hardly wait to see what she comes up with next! This was a five star read, I was interested at the very beginning.

Charlie Colbert survived the tragic Scarlet Christmas during her college years, but not all of her friends did. Now, one of the other survivors is going forward with a movie tell-all for the tenth anniversary. Charlie had blocked out all memories of that night, but she has a nagging feeling that she did something she shouldn't have and now she's desperate to remember and stop Stephanie's movie. She can't live through this story and the paparazzi again, so she's willing to do whatever she can to put an end to it all.

Interspersed with articles, excerpts, and interviews of the survivors at the time of Scarlet Christmas, this is a dual timeline suspense novel. A gripping, twisty tale full of changing stories and an unpredictable ending. Charlie is an unreliable narrator, giving us the story of what she thought happened, while trying to uncover what really did happen. There were several characters, but not so many that it was difficult to keep track of them, and they were all well-developed.

All in all, this was a great debut, well-written and unpredictable. If you enjoy an unreliable narrator, mysteries, or "getting the gang back together" stories, then this is a definite must-read! For fans of Karin Slaughter and Ruth Ware.

Thank you to @NetGalley and @MinotaurBooks for a digital copy for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own. ( )

Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead by Jenny Hollander is a slow burn psychological thriller with strong ‘last-girl’ vibes. Nine years ago on December 24th three college students were killed in what became known as “Scarlet Christmas”. Charlotte was one of the surviving victims. Her memories of the event are extremely scattered, but at the time she lied and gave a full statement to police. Now a former classmate is making a movie based on the events. Charlotte is now the editor at a respected magazine, has a supportive boyfriend, and continues to see a therapist. Renewed attention and scrutiny will threaten the life Charlotte has worked so hard to build.

Thoughts:
This is Hollander’s debut book. It starts out incredibly strong and had me hooked. It’s a moody, atmospheric read, that delves into trauma, memory, and formative relationships. Told through a ‘then-now’ format we get many of the blanks filled in through flashbacks. I really appreciate the raw unresolved feelings the remaining students still have. It felt very honest, a nonlinear journey with trauma. Hollander’s premise is engaging, if a little messy at times. I was left confused on how some things fit together despite a final chapter wrap up that felt a little too warm-fuzzy. I read on ebook, but noticed the audiobook is narrated by Marisa Calin. I’d highly recommend that format if you get a chance! She always adds a wonderful element to her voice acting, really uplifting any story. I’m excited to see what Hollander does next and will definitely be reading!

I received an advance copy from the publisher @MinotaurBooks via @Netgalley ( )