Kate McLaughlin

Kate McLaughlin's Daughter is a gritty but hopeful novel in which a notorious serial killer will only give the names of his remaining victims to the daughter he barely knows...

A Novel

Daughter

 don't know how I feel about this one. I appreciate the message--remember the victims, not the killer, which seems especially relevant given the huge burst of interest/popularity in true crime (and the resurgence of people obsessed with the killers, but that's a rant for another time). The execution just wasn't quite there for me. There's also a decent amount of teen sex. It wasn't graphic or anything (I would argue that it would be appropriate for upper YA) but it felt out of place. The relationship is also between a seventeen year old high school senior and a 19 year old college freshman which felt a little bit weird. It's not that much of an age gap, but it didn't give me the best vibes. There also was no real conclusion, just a chapter at the end where Scarlet updates us like an acquaintance you haven't seen for a while but ran into at the grocery store. Very rushed and more telling than showing.

There was also a lot of southern people--specifically North Carolina. Now, I was raised in NC, but there were things that did not add up. Especially since they were in Raleigh. The slight accents, fine, whatever. But oughtn't?? OUGHTN'T???? I have never once heard that in my entire life. Also, for the most part, people around here say soda, not coke for all soft drinks. Coke tends to be more south. I don't often go to bat for the state I grew up in, but linguistics will make me. 

Also Scarlet does not sound like a teenager. Misused slang and outdated slang galore. It'd be funny if it didn't make me cringe.

Holly

 don't know how I feel about this one. I appreciate the message--remember the victims, not the killer, which seems especially relevant given the huge burst of interest/popularity in true crime (and the resurgence of people obsessed with the killers, but that's a rant for another time). The execution just wasn't quite there for me. There's also a decent amount of teen sex. It wasn't graphic or anything (I would argue that it would be appropriate for upper YA) but it felt out of place. The relationship is also between a seventeen year old high school senior and a 19 year old college freshman which felt a little bit weird. It's not that much of an age gap, but it didn't give me the best vibes. There also was no real conclusion, just a chapter at the end where Scarlet updates us like an acquaintance you haven't seen for a while but ran into at the grocery store. Very rushed and more telling than showing.

There was also a lot of southern people--specifically North Carolina. Now, I was raised in NC, but there were things that did not add up. Especially since they were in Raleigh. The slight accents, fine, whatever. But oughtn't?? OUGHTN'T???? I have never once heard that in my entire life. Also, for the most part, people around here say soda, not coke for all soft drinks. Coke tends to be more south. I don't often go to bat for the state I grew up in, but linguistics will make me. 

Also Scarlet does not sound like a teenager. Misused slang and outdated slang galore. It'd be funny if it didn't make me cringe.

Daughter A Novel

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