I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
In the Garden of Spite by Camilla Bruce Published by Berkley on January 19 2021
Genres: Adult, Historical thriller
Pages: 480
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: A macabre glimpse into the mind of a female serial killer, In the Garden of Spite is a compelling page-turner, rich in historical details and fascinating characters.
Halfway through the meal, Moira had to excuse herself, as she was feeling ill. I wished her a speedy recovery as she made her way upstairs. Soon after, I cut her throat and let her bleed out in a bucket.
Camilla Bruce’s You Let Me In was one of my favorite books of 2020, and there was no way I was going to miss her latest, In the Garden of Spite. This is a very different beast but just as addictive a read. Bruce has proven she’s a versatile writer, going from the speculative, fairy tale genre to a historical thriller about one of America’s most infamous female serial killers, Belle Gunness. This is a slow build, character driven story about how a devastating event had a life-altering impact on a young girl’s future, full of gruesome and shocking details, and I could not tear my eyes away from the page. Belle is a compelling character no matter what she has done, and if you love stories about serial killers, or even if you’re simply fascinated by them, you won’t want to miss this book.
The story is told from alternating perspectives over the course of about thirty years, beginning in 1877 Norway. Brynhild Paulsdatter Storset is a young teen who discovers she’s pregnant, and she’s convinced that once she tells the father, a well-off man named Anders, he’ll agree to marry her. Brynhild’s family are very poor, living on someone else’s land and working hard to scrape by, and Anders isn’t about to marry a girl from such a low station. Even when Brynhild threatens to tell the priest, thinking he’ll do the right thing and force Anders’ hand, he simply laughs in her face. But when Anders seems to take pity on her and invites her to meet him down by the lake, Brynhild is devastated when he viciously beats her and leaves her for dead.
Unable to face her family, Brynhild makes plans to leave Norway and start a new life. Her older sister Nellie lives in Chicago, and Brynhild is convinced that a wonderful life awaits her in America. Once there, she changes her name to Belle and begins her search for a husband who can help her achieve her dreams, but happiness is elusive, especially when she discovers she can never have children. Belle’s search for happiness eventually leads her to a farm in La Porte, Indiana, where she develops a taste for killing off men who have lost their usefulness.
Belle’s chapters alternate with those from Nellie’s perspective, as she happily welcomes her sister to Chicago, but is soon disappointed when Little Brynhild, as Nellie fondly calls her, seems to be more interested in the exciting sights and tastes that the city has to offer, rather than helping her pregnant sister at home. Nellie becomes increasingly distraught over Belle’s bold actions: aggressively looking for the “perfect” husband and later taking lovers on the side, her unorthodox methods of acquiring children, and her refusal to conform to society’s norms of how married women should behave. As the story progresses, and Nellie becomes more and more convinced that Belle is hiding some terrible secrets, the tension becomes nearly unbearable. Nellie’s point of view is critical to the story and gives the reader a much needed break from listening to Belle’s disturbing thoughts.
This is one of those rare cases where I didn’t like the main character at all, but I ended up loving the book anyway. I don’t think you’re supposed to like Belle, since she’s a killer, but even those close to her mention how odd and unlikeable she is, and when people around her start dying or disappearing, it becomes harder and harder to ignore the fact that she might have something to do with those deaths. Despite her abrasive personality, Belle has a sort of charisma that draws people in, especially men, and this allows her to hide her deadly activities because she’s such a good liar. I was horrified by some of the things she was capable of, and yet behind that horror was a certain amount of fascination and appreciation of her methods, and because of the abuse she suffered, you can’t help but sympathize with her on some level. If you look at her life from the perspective of an immigrant, a girl from a very poor family who was able to come to America (that in itself was not easy) and turn her life around, it’s hard not to admire her focus and drive to get what she wants. However, Belle is a killer, and her methods–which include poison, cleavers and hacking dead bodies up in order to bury them–will remind you that there is something terribly wrong with her.
Belle ends up meeting a man named James Lee who becomes a life-long friend and confidant, and together they form a twisted relationship that seems to benefit both of them equally. James is the only person who knows Belle’s secrets, and in fact he helps her with many of her kills. It was shocking just how much they got away with, year after year, and despite my aversion to James and everything he represents, I thought their relationship added a lot to the story.
I loved reading about the immigrant experience, which is something I don’t often find in speculative fiction. Belle’s and Nellie’s lives in Chicago are hard. Starting fresh in America might be a step up from their hardscrabble lives in Norway, but just barely. Nellie works all day as a laundress in order to bring in some money, but she must care for her children while working. She does form bonds with the other Norwegian immigrants in her building, which makes things slightly easier, but she’s exhausted by the end of the day and knows that the next day will only be more of the same. Bruce does a great job of describing the living conditions during the late 1800s. Even in a city like Chicago, most people didn’t have luxuries like indoor plumbing, and it’s during these moments that you can see how elusive the American dream really was
The tension steadily builds up to a horrifying conclusion, one that had been hinted at but still ended up shocking me. The author includes an informative Author’s Note at the end of the story, describing her research and the liberties she took with the factual information about Belle’s life. Camilla Bruce, being a native Norwegian herself, seems uniquely qualified to explore the life of a fellow countrywoman, and her attention to detail and lush, descriptive writing bring Belle’s morbid story to life. In the Garden of Spite was an excellent book to start off my reading year, and I can’t recommend it more highly.
Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.
I think it always leaves a weird feeling when you don’t like the main character. Glad you enjoyed it anyway!
That’s what I thought too, but I guess I was so horrified by her actions, I just couldn’t stop reading, lol.
The female serial killer (a rarity, indeed) angle is a fascinating one – and that snippet you quoted grabbed my attention in a major way! – but when added to that historical setting turns this story into a must-read!
Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Maddalena@spaceandsorcery recently posted…THE LAST COYOTE (Harry Bosch #4), by Michael Donnelly
It’s definitely a must read if you love those elements:-)
I do love stories about serial killers and am fascinated by them so already I’m like I kinda don’t mind it that the main character isn’t likeable because I tend to like stories like that. And you know that I love historical books so this is one that’s going on my wishlist!
Stephanie @ Bookfever recently posted…January 2021 Of Books Giveaway Hop (INT)
Yes, this would be perfect for you:-)
It’s always so interesting to enjoy a book while disliking the main character–sometimes I think it’s a really fun/interesting way to experience a story. This sounds like something I definitely need to check out, so maybe I’ll need to bump it up on my TBR!
She’s such a good writer, I think that helps in creating such a readable story when the MC is horrible:-)
Excellent review, Tammy. 🙂 The cover is beautiful and I’m intrigued to find out more about Belle. Thanks for recommending.
Debjani Ghosh recently posted…9 Incredible Books To Read in First Quarter of 2021
Thanks Debjani, the cover fits the story perfectly:-)
Can’t wait to read this!
Hope you enjoy!
This sounds so good! I have become very picky about serial killer fiction and this checks two of my must read boxes. Historical and it featuring a female serial killer. I look forward to reading it, even more so after reading your review.
I hope you enjoy it when you have the chance to check it out:-)
This sounds really good. I’m gonna add it to my TBR. I don’t often read thrillers but even so, I hardly ever hear of stories featuring female serial killers. I think the only one I’ve read is My Sister, the Serial Killer.
I was fascinated by the fact that she’s a serial killer in the 1800s, for some reason that makes it extra interesting:-)
I loved your review of this one – thank you for an informative and engrossing read. As you know, I absolutely loved You Let Me In – but I’m going to pass on this one. I don’t enjoy books with unlikeable protagonists and I don’t like reading about real-life murderers. But I’ll be keeping tabs on Bruce, in the hope that the next book she writes will be more my thing – she’s an extraordinary writer, as your excellent review makes clear:)).
It’s definitely not for everyone, and I wasn’t sure it would work for me either. But one thing for sure, I’ll read anything she writes now!
I just skimmed since I’m getting ready to start this one too, but OMG now I can’t wait to start it. It sounds incredible!
Can’t wait to see what you think!
Excellent review! I don’t know if I will get to this one but it sounds fascinating.
Anne – Books of My Heart recently posted…2020 Library Love Challenge Results
It was! I don’t read historical fiction very often and when I do, I wonder why I don’t read more of it:-)
Not liking the main character but liking the book does say something, I think, about the writing, and how good it must be to drawn you in despite the unlikable character. Sounds interesting, I enjoyed your review.
Thanks Todd, it was interesting to see how much I loved the book, despite the MC:-)
This one sounds so good! After her debut blew me away, I can’t wait to read this!!!
It’s so different, but really good!
I was sold after reading the first couple of sentences! I’ll be grabbing this one.
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It’s worth it!
Sounds so good. I need to make time for it. I’ve read a few books where I didn’t like any of the characters and still enjoyed the book. It doesn’t always happen but when it does, for some reason, it makes the book more special to me. Great review and with a 4 1/2 star review, sounds like this one is a real hit!
I think it shows what a good writer she is to make you love the story, even though the character is pretty awful!
I’m really looking forward to this but at the moment it’s only available to buy in hardback so I’ll wait to see if an electronic version becomes available.
Lynn
I’m sure it will at some point:-)
In a way, it’s probably better for this character to be unlikeable since she’s a serial killer and all. I mean, I always feel weird when I’m rooting for the killer LOL.
Amazing review, this books sounds like an atmospheric read and the quote made me so curious to read this book!!
Maryam recently posted…24 Books I Want to Read in 2021
I’m not sure if I’ve ever read a historical thriller before, this one sounds intriguing and I’m glad you enjoyed it! I get what you mean about liking the main character–usually if I don’t like the main character I also have a hard time with a book but there are those times. Hearing that makes me even more interested haha.
This was an amazing review! And now I want to read it, too!! This is the first addition of the year to my TBR!!
Wow, this sounds like a striking read. I didn’t realize it’s based on a historical figure! I am not sure I will pick this one up (bit gruesome for my tastes, maybe) but I still have a hold on You Let Me In and am really looking forward to it.
Jenna @ Falling Letters recently posted…The Last Voyage of the Karluk [NF List]
“Halfway through the meal, Moira had to excuse herself, as she was feeling ill. I wished her a speedy recovery as she made her way upstairs. Soon after, I cut her throat and let her bleed out in a bucket.” – I read this and was like WHAAAAAT?!!? Instantly hooked haha. As I read more of this review I feel like I’ve heard of this woman – dunno if you listen to the podcast Lore, but I seem to remember an episode very similar to this. This isn’t the kind of thing I would usually pick up but I’m definitely considering it.