Book Review – True Crime by Samantha Kolesnik

Title: True Crime

Author: Samantha Kolesnik

Edition: Paperback

Page Count: 143 pages

Rating: 4.5 / 5 ✨✨✨✨✨

Short Summary:

Suzy and her brother, Lim, live with their abusive mother in a town where the stars don’t shine at night. Once the abuse becomes too much to handle, the two siblings embark on a sordid cross-country murder spree beginning with their mom. As the murder tally rises, Suzy’s mental state spirals into irredeemable madness.

Goodreads | Amazon

“I wondered how the world made its villains, and why it never apologized for making them.”

I couldn’t put this one down after starting it, and honestly don’t even know what to say other than: read it. ASAP.⁠ I’m obviously going to try for a review, but the major take away here is that you need this book!
⁠
As someone who had a pretty unfortunate childhood, reading about certain things is sometimes tough for me. This one pushed a lot of buttons, but I couldn’t stop – and I’m glad I didn’t, ’cause while it’s a difficult story to tell, it’s one that feels important to be told. ⁠There are some things that we shouldn’t turn a blind eye to, and abuse is one of them. Child and domestic abuse in particular are such horrible things that can have a dramatic impact on everyone involved – and they may not be comfortable to read about, but that doesn’t make the impact any less important.
⁠
It’s that horrifying impact that can sometimes create monsters out of the very people who have been victimized. TRUE CRIME is a story about two such people – Suzy, and her brother, Lim. Finding a way to make monsters seem relatable and worth empathizing with in story form takes a skilled writer, and Samantha Kolesnik is definitely that. She writes about Lim and Suzy both as if they’re people doing terrible things, and as people who have had terrible things done to them. While the things they choose to do may not be totally understandable, it’s at least possible to empathize with them to an extent – which isn’t a side you’d normally see to most people guilty of some pretty heinous crimes.

I’m very eager to see what else Kolesnik releases, and very impressed with this debut. She’s on my radar for great new authors to watch after this, and should definitely be on yours, too!
⁠
Go out and grab a copy of this one now that it’s officially out! Captivating, haunting, and filled with pain – you won’t easily forget it.⁠