The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

By Stuart Turton

Evelyn Hardcastle will be murdered at 11:00 p.m. 

There are eight days, and eight witnesses for you to inhabit. 

We will only let you escape once you tell us the name of the killer. 

Understood? Then let's begin...

***

Evelyn Hardcastle will die. Every day until Aiden Bishop can identify her killer and break the cycle. But every time the day begins again, Aiden wakes up in the body of a different guest. And some of his hosts are more helpful than others...

Talk about a weird ass book. Did you have any idea what was going on?  I did not. I was like Aiden, except worse, because I, as a reader, had no incentive to remember anything, so I was constantly surprised by things that had already happened and therefore should not have surprised me.

Also, not really relevant to the story, but can you believe that this book and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo came out within nine months of each other?  It's like when Antz and A Bug's Life came out back to back, like we really want multiple movies about bugs talking, only here, it's titles about at least seven things relating to Evelyn H.  Anyway.

So, I have to talk about the SPOILERS.

The idea that the whole thing is a prison is something that could easily be explored in a book all by itself, but he kind of casually tosses it in there, like, oh, this is why everything has been happening. I mean, let's unpack that!  First of all, it seems ridiculous that allowing murderers to atone for their crimes by solving other crimes is a legitimate justice system.  I mean, that's basically the premise of Silence of the Lambs, and we know how that ends (Hannibal kills more people).  Honestly, if they have the technology, it seems like it makes more sense to wipe them down and let them wander off with new personalities, without warping them by playing murder mystery games with them. 

I'm not entirely sure any of that was adequately explained.  [I mean, I'm pretty sure it wasn't explained at all, but I will acknowledge that I sometimes overlook important paragraphs].  For example, the most unpleasant part of the process (for Aiden at least, since Anna was under the radar this go-round) was the other prisoner/player.  Without him, there's really no urgency or difficulty aside from the regular difficulty of waking up in a body not your own and trying to solve a murder.  But who was the other person, and how did they end up in the worst of the worst simulation - especially when it seems like Aiden kind of had to petition to get in?

Not for nothing, but why is anyone listening to Aiden at all?  Why do they let him compete in this whole charade, why does the Plague Doctor let him decide when Anna is rehabilitated?  I mean, Aiden doesn't even fucking remember himself anymore, we should probably not allow him to convince us he knows someone else so well after, basically, a week's acquaintance, that they should be let out of prison.  Especially when like, uh, more people than just Aiden's sister were hurt by her. If we're doing the whole restorative justice thing, shouldn't we be giving the other victims a voice too?

Leaving all that aside (and really, it is very neat way of explaining the set-up, even if does completely make no sense) I will say that this whole thing is meticulously plotted.  At one point, I almost made an excel chart of where everyone was at different times and who was interacting with who.  It would have been a very satisfying chart.  Turton does a good job at atmosphere making a very moody, suspenseful mystery.  There's quite a bit of violence (although again, it didn't seem to be incredibly inherent to the mystery so much as it was to the prisoners) and rain, always rain.  I know some of the reviewers were put off by the confusing, repetitive and drudgy nature of the first half or so,  but I do think it's one that you would want to re-read for clues, now knowing the answer and the future.  At the very least, it's a very exciting and unique take on the genre, and really adds to it.  

Also, there's a book club list of discussion questions in the back and can someone please explain to me how Evelyn Hardcastle died 7.5 times?  I mean, Aiden has eight lives, and she died in seven of them, and then in number eight we find out it's actually her friend she sets up to die, so Evelyn didn't die in any of them...? Except then she definitely gets murdered in day eight, so.... does that count as a half-life? Someone please help me, I'm not smart enough for this.


24: A Book That Takes Place In A Single Day