What do You think about A Child's Book Of True Crime (2003)?
A Child's Book Of True Crime. How can that not sound interesting? The novel focuses around Kate Byrne, a fresh out of college school teacher. She begins having an affair with Thomas, the father of Kate’s favorite student. Thomas is a married man and he explains to Kate that their relationship is just sex, but as Kate becomes more attached to him she can’t help thinking about Thomas’s wife, Veronica. Veronica is a true crime novelist, her book tells the story of the brutal murder of a woman killed by her lover’s wife. Kate becomes obsessed with the story and she starts to compare herself to the victim. Then she begins to wonder if she is in danger. The book is told primarily through Kate’s eyes, but there are parts where the reader sees the world through the mind of a child. Kate has some unorthodox teaching ideas where she engages the children in class discussions with adult themes. There are also parts of the book that have animals telling the story of the murder. So, there are things I liked about this book and things I didn’t like. I liked Kate’s story and the mystery of the murder, but it dragged in a few places. There are beautiful descriptions of the Australian landscape (a place I have never been but will go someday!) Chloe Hooper is a very talented author who writes dark gritty characters with amazing detail. If I were to recommend a book by her I wouldn’t pick this one because The Engagement is better in my opinion.
—Kelly McCoy
Chloe Hooper's debut novel is a mixed bag that does not quite pull off what it sets out to achieve, or was possibly never clear as to what that was in the first place. The "True Crime" genre is explored but not pushed far enough. The parallel narrative from the Australian bush is truly charming and almost works to illuminate the main plot and parody the genre, but doesn't quite make it. Somehow the chracter of Kate Byrne, an elementary school teacher in Tasmania who gets entangled in a dangerous and sordid affair, is both compelling and repulsive. All in all, the characters do not feel fleshed out enough, nor does their struggle feel very readworthy. I truly enjoyed the illuminations of the school children in Kate's class and the musings of the Australian animals. A colourful and easy read that is a bit disappointing.
—Talya Rubin
I gave this book four stars, but using the phrase "I really liked it" doesn't quite apply. This book got my attention, creeped me out, and made me think. It's partially the story of Kate Byrne, a young primary school teacher in an out of the way island town in Tasmania. She is having an affair with Thomas, the father of one of her students, the somewhat creepily precocious Lucien. Thomas's wife, Veronica, has recently published a true crime novel focused on a famous murder in the area. Fifteen years before, a young woman who was having an affair with a local veterinarian is found brutally murdered--assumedly by the wife when she finds out about the relationship. Yet, a few hours after the murder, the wife too disappears. Though in her book, Veronica, suggests one interpretation of these events, Kate begins to suspect that Veronica got it wrong--a sense that gets stronger and stronger as Kate's own situation begins to more closely mirror the dead girl's. In response to this, Kate begins to compose (in her head?) a retelling of this story in a child's book form--looking at the events through the eyes of Kitty Koala, Terence Tiger, Wally Wombat, etc. The result is a confusing, unnerving text that looks at the world of children with the eyes of an adult and the world of adults through the eyes of a child. Kate's perspective is clearly skewed (you figure out early on that she is not a reliable narrator) and the way her story, the story of the murder, and the children's version all intersect is both disturbing yet vivid.I won't forget this book anytime soon but I don't necessarily want to revisit its world either.
—Jennifer
