The Murders of Lillian Ross by Sirena Van Schaik – Review by Cassie

The Murders of Lillian RossThe Murders of Lillian Ross by Sirena Van Schaik
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“But you made it,”Allison said, “You survived, and I know you are going to survive this.”
“Did I?” Allison asked as her more tears ran down her cheeks. “I don’t think I ever left that apartment. I think they breathed life into corpse, and she has been walking through the world without any joy…without anything but pain.”

Moments ago I finished this book, and I am still weighed by the heaviness of it. The Murders of Lillian Ross wasn’t a book I expected to fall in love with, but I found pieces of myself between the pages and paragraphs, between the smiles and the tears, this book was very close to my heart.

PLEASE READ TWs IN SYNOPSIS BEFORE READING THIS BOOK!

This story follows the life of Lillian Ross, a child groomed for the light that follows the wealthy. A portrait-perfect family that can do no wrong, has done much wrong indeed. As Lillian introduces us to the Skeletons in her closet, Allison revisits some of her own. Will Lillian’s story save Allison? Or will it only mirror Allison’s own future?

I found myself so immersed in this book and Lillian’s story. There were so many palpable and vivid scenes, I felt as if I was in the same room as these characters. As a murder/crime mystery documentary lover and hopeful future writer myself, I LOVED following Allison’s’ story as she helped Lillian tell her truth. Normally reading the things these girls go through (SA, abuse, etc) don’t get to me so hard, but some of the incidents in their lives, their family members, and more reflected even my own life to the point that; At a few times, I felt like I was reading about myself!

The way inner struggle, mental health, the choices we are given as women, and the alienation of being a survivor, were portrayed in this book felt accurate and truthful to me. It resonated with me the way the author showed the ugly side of healing. I appreciate this, and I hope to see more accurate portrayals of this in books. Many people don’t prefer this in their fiction, but I think it’s important to show the way abuse, and trauma can stay with people. Even further on into their lives.

There were times I had to go back and reread parts that didn’t make sense to me personally the first time (I read a little too fast whoops!) but that’s the only “problem” I had with this one. Other than that, I honestly enjoyed this book and recommend it for crime readers!

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