My Men by Victoria Kielland is translated from the Norwegian and is based on the true story of a female serial killer named Brynhild Gunness.
Synopsis
In 1876, seventeen-year-old Brynhild fell in love with a wealthy older man. When Brynhild learns how cruel and abusive he is, she moves to America to join her sister as a maid. There, she changes her name to Bella (later Belle) and eventually falls in love again.
But life is far from easy for Bella. One day she’s in a happy marriage, and the next, she’s plotting how to lure men to their death.
Review of My Men by Victoria Kielland
The writing style is unusual, slightly disjointed and very literary leaning. The writing is a little hazy towards the end. Most of the book has a melancholic feel to it.
While reading this, I wondered if the plot would even get to the killings or if it would end just as she begins. It eventually got there, just not until the last 20% of the book. Since the book is fairly short, it didn’t take up very many pages.
I liked how the author handled Belle’s character. In the beginning, Belle is clearly very young and naive, and her character changes as she experiences hardships. But there are no distinct personality changes between serial killer Belle and pre-serial killer Belle. She’s the same woman, except now she’s killing men one at a time while looking after her family.
I’m not big on true crime, but this fictional account based on a true story seemed intriguing, and I don’t regret reading it.
I’d recommend this if you enjoy dark, translated literary fiction.
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Expected Publication: 27 June 2023
Thank you to Astra House for providing an arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
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