Got through this in one sitting. Firstly because, being a novella, it's quite short. But secondly, and more importantly, it is a gripping read.
Molly Southbourne has a rather unusual medical condition, in that whenever she bleeds, whether through accident, intent or her usual periods, a clone of her appears. These clones start off vague and unfocused, but inevitably end up murderous, with no thought in their minds but the death of their creator.
So Molly is raised in a strange, tense environment, with parents who teach her to fight, kill and then dispose of the bodies. Unfortunately, the clones also learn what she learns, which means that it keeps getting harder to keep herself alive.
The novella length was good for this. The plot was kept tight, with nothing in it that feels unnecessary, but there's enough space for a good exploration of the psychological quirks you'd likely end up developing in that scenario.
The psychological quirks are hardly helped by Molly's parents, who appear to be some form of spy on the run, and are, well, I was about to say over-protective, but if your child was in constant danger of being murdered by its own clones, it's probably a perfectly reasonable level of protective. They're also very interesting characters in their own right, with a few little insights that flesh them out nicely. Joining them are various boyfriends, employers and other people who inevitably get drawn into the crazy madness that is her life.
In summary, an excellent book to spend a couple of hours with. Has some nice gruesome horror, a rather pleasant framing device (though I admit it confused me briefly) and a well-built plot.
Highly recommended.
Tagged: Book Horror Horrible humans Novella Print