The Murders of Molly Southbourne

by Tade Thompson

Book Overview

"A bold outpouring of flesh and crisis at once horrifying and familiar." --The New York Times

Winner of the 2018 Nommo Award for Best Novella

Every time she bleeds a murderer is born. Experience the horror of Tade Thompson's The Murders of Molly Southbourne. A finalist for the 2017 BSFA Award, the 2017 Shirley Jackson Award.

The rule is simple: don't bleed.

For as long as Molly Southbourne can remember, she's been watching herself die. Whenever she bleeds, another molly is born, identical to her in every way and intent on her destruction.

Molly knows every way to kill herself, but she also knows that as long as she survives she'll be hunted. No matter how well she follows the rules, eventually the mollys will find her. Can Molly find a way to stop the tide of blood, or will she meet her end at the hand of a girl who looks just like her?

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0765397137
• ISBN13: 9780765397133
• Release Date: October 2017
• Publisher: St. Martins Press-3PL
• Length: 128 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 4.9" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

The Murders of Molly Southbourne

What. Just. Happened?! I love a horror book that sticks with the reader long after the final page and The Murders of Molly Southbourne does just that. Dark and twisted, this fast pace novella drips with blood while tapping into the basic questions of human morality. The opening scene suggests the book will contain gore, but it doesn’t. Despite the ample murders, the blood serves a purpose and it reads more clinical than slasher. I found myself more interested with Molly’s emotional state than the actual murders of her doppelgangers. She’s a psychological enigma, a woman forced to come face-to-face with literally the worst version of herself. As she matures from childhood to adulthood, she goes through relatable teenage angst and rebellion, but she learns that she can’t outrun her demons. The only way to survive is to accept her fate and fight for her life. At the heart of the story is a tale of humanity. A story about parents doing their best to protect their daughter by teaching her how to butcher a body. A daughter doing her best to carve a place for herself in the world while simultaneously murdering, dismembering, and disposing the remains of her doubles. A typical and yet not typical coming-of-age story that leaves your mind frazzled and stomach twisted in knots. The only aspect of this book I disliked was the ending. It’s part of a series, so I’m willing to hold my breath and see how the next book progresses, but it seemed to speed through important scenes while leaving a sour taste in my mouth. I wished it was longer and more time was given to the characters storylines at the end, but the final page left enough intrigue to make me want to read more from this author. It’s a story that stuck with me into the night and through the next morning. I’m sure I’ll be mulling it over for days to come. I also discovered this novella is being made into a movie, which I really hope happens. Seeing Molly and her evil doppelgangers battle for survival on the big screen will no doubt be eerie and chilling. There’s a self-harming scene, so beware, but overall, I highly recommend this story to anyone interested in psychological horror. Four stars.