"Nothing Can Hurt You" by Nicola Maye Goldberg
“Nothing Can Hurt You” by Nicola Maye Goldberg (Bookshop | Kindle)
Synopsis: Inspired by a true story, this haunting debut novel pieces together a chorus of voices to explore the aftermath of a college student's death.
On a cold day in 1997, student Sara Morgan was killed in the woods surrounding her liberal arts college in upstate New York. Her boyfriend, Blake Campbell, confessed, his plea of temporary insanity raising more questions than it answered.
In the wake of his acquittal, the case comes to haunt a strange and surprising network of community members, from the young woman who discovers Sara's body to the junior reporter who senses its connection to convicted local serial killer John Logan. Others are looking for retribution or explanation: Sara's half sister, stifled by her family's bereft silence about Blake, poses as a babysitter and seeks out her own form of justice, while the teenager Sara used to babysit starts writing to Logan in prison.
A propulsive, taut tale of voyeurism and obsession, Nothing Can Hurt You dares to examine gendered violence not as an anomaly, but as the very core of everyday life. Tracing the concentric circles of violence rippling out from Sara's murder, Nicola Maye Goldberg masterfully conducts an unforgettable chorus of disparate voices.
Rating: 4.25
Review: While Nicola May Goldberg’s novel begins with a crime trope: pretty, young, white murdered co-ed found in the woods, from the first chapter we know that this isn’t a typical thriller. The novel unfolds over chapters by tangentially connected women. Unlike many of this style, there is no ultimate thread that neatly sews each character together, which is both an interesting and unsettling effect.
The central story of the co-ed murdered by her schizophrenic boyfriend in a psychotic episode alternates with another major crime, loosely based on the serial killer Kendall Francois (I recognized this because I clearly have a serial killer problem, OK? Let me just call it out before you do). Goldberg writes women of all ages believably, in a warts-and-all style, and I often found my heart aching for the teens of the book, making the dangerous mistakes we all do when we believe ourselves to be immortal.
I devoured this book because I couldn’t get each of these women out of my mind. The book has the best elements of a thriller: pacing, salaciousness, compelling plot, while having an unique take on the genre. The thesis of the book is that women’s greatest peril lies at the hands of men. While I’m deeply ambivalent about that take, Goldberg makes a compelling case in a sharply feminist narrative. The novel ends on an odd note that leaves you wanting a neater conclusion, but it adds well to the general unsettling nature.
TL;DR: A bold and deliberate take on the crime novel, with a strong feminist bent.
If you liked this; try:
“Her Body and Other Parties” by Carmen Maria Machado (Bookshop | Kindle)
“The Spider and the Fly” by Claudia Rowe (Bookshop | Kindle)
“Jane: a Murder” by Maggie Nelson (Bookshop | Kindle)
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