How Can I Help You

Laura Sims — 2023

From the author of Looker comes this “compulsive and unforgettable novel” (Mona Awad) of razor-sharp suspense about two local librarians whose lives become dangerously intertwined. No one knows Margo’s real name. Her colleagues and patrons at a small town public library only know her middle-aged normalcy, congeniality, and charm. They have no reason to suspect that she is, in fact, a former nurse with a trail of countless premature deaths in her wake. She has turned a new page, so to speak, and the library is her sanctuary, a place to quell old urges. That is, at least, until Patricia, a recent graduate and failed novelist, joins the library staff. Patricia quickly notices Margo’s subtly sinister edge, and watches her carefully. When a patron’s death in the library bathroom gives her a hint of Margo’s mysterious past, Patricia can’t resist digging deeper—even as this new fixation becomes all-consuming. Taut and compelling, How Can I Help You explores the dark side of human nature and the dangerous pull of artistic obsession as these “transfixing dual female narrators” (Kimberly McCreight) hurtle toward a stunning climax.

Reviews

Liz@lizetteratura

May 23, 2024

What a read in under 250 pages! You'll read this short yet engaging narrative in one sitting! It is written from the povs of the two main characters, Margo and Patricia, who we follow in a steam of consciousness writing through the story. The chapters often follow the same narrative from both perspectives, adding fresh details and hints about the people to make the plot progress and keep us interested.

Grace M@thecoupdegrace

Feb 16, 2024

the only thing I love more than one unreliable narrator is two unreliable narrators

Lara Engle@bzzlarabzz

Aug 23, 2023

This one was a slow burn, even with its brief page count. But that end ... I knew something wild was coming. What a weird little book. I love the two female narrators. Their dual obsessions with each other were so frustrating, but also somehow satisfying. Despite being such a short book, it still managed to be a slow burn with a big playoff at the end. I also loved the references to We Have Always Lived in the Castle, which is one of my very favorite books.

Clara Gauthier@cegauthier

Aug 13, 2023

a book made for my lit-nerd-thriller-fan self, i really enjoyed the alternating perspectives and references to jackson’s “we have always lived in the castle”. somehow both narrators were simultaneously likable and awful, but just enough that you rooted for them. overall, this book is an interesting dive into obsession, and the different ways it is exhibited or experienced by different people.