By Jay Flood
Almost two years have passed since I read The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton, yet it remains my all-time favorite book. The shocking twists, complexity, brilliance and uniqueness make this book phenomenal.
The Hardcastles are hosting a dinner party to figure out who murdered their son many years ago. What they don’t know is that by the end of the night, their daughter will be dead, too. In fact, their daughter will die every night until Aiden Bishop solves her murder. The rules of the game are this: every day the day loops and every day Aiden wakes up in a different person’s body. There are eight hosts and eight days. Aiden’s memory will erase and the game will start over if he doesn’t solve Evelyn’s murder in eight days. Aiden’s not the only one playing the game, though, and there are other players trying to kill him. The stakes are high and the days are short.
On Goodreads, there are more than 300,000 ratings with an average of 3.86 stars. Although tens of thousands of people rated this book five stars, this book is not for everybody. The complexity and amount of characters can be overwhelming and hard to grasp, which makes it a challenging read. Every character is very well developed and serves a purpose, which means remembering every detail is even more important. We see Aiden inhabit eight different characters experiencing the same day, which can definitely be confusing. The complexity is what made it awful for some, but it is also what made it incredible for others.
I was able to remember all of the characters and intricate details because I read the book so fast. The complexity made it difficult to predict, which allowed for so many shocking plot twists that had me gasping every ten lines. This book demands all of your focus and attention to detail, so if you’re looking for an easy read, this is not it. However, if you’re looking for a thriller that keeps you up at night, this is the book for you. I love weird, unique books with a plot that no one has written before and endings so shocking it leaves me wanting more.
Another controversial aspect of this book is the characters. All of the characters are so complex and important to the story. However, I can’t think of a single character I truly adored, as all are deeply flawed and unlikeable. For some, because the characters were very flawed and unlikeable, reading the book was unenjoyable. However, the characters collectively being awful actually add to the story for people who prefer plot and conflict over character likability. The way each character’s flaws and secrets added to the plot was brilliant and will leave you speechless when everything comes together. However, if you prefer character likability over plot brilliance, and it was hard for you to keep all of the characters and details straight, the ending will not be mind-blowing and will go over your head.
The best word to describe a book where every little detail, scene, and character is important to the mystery is “brilliant.” If you want to read a complicated murder mystery with unpredictable plot twists, I highly recommend this book.
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