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My Second Death
In Lydia Cooper's wry and absorbing debut novel, we are introduced to Mickey Brandis, a brilliant 28-year-old doctoral candidate in medieval literature who is part Lisbeth Salander and part Dexter. She lives in her parents' garage and swears too often, but she never complains about the rain or cold, she rarely eats dead animals, and she hasn't killed a man since she was 10. Her life is dull and predictable but legal, and she intends to keep it that way. But the careful existence Mickey has created in adulthood is upended when she is mysteriously led to a condemned house where she discovers an exquisitely mutilated corpse. The same surreal afternoon, she is asked by a timid, wall-eyed art student to solve a murder that occurred 20 years earlier. While she gets deeper and deeper into the investigation, she begins to lose hold on her tenuous connection to reality - to her maddening students and graduate thesis advisor; to her stoic parents, who are no longer speaking; to her confused, chameleon-like adolescent brother; and to her older brother, Dave, a zany poet who is growing increasingly erratic and keenly interested in Mickey's investigation. Driven by an unforgettable voice, and filled with razor-sharp wit and vivid characters, My Second Death is a smart, suspenseful novel and a provocative examination of family, loyalty, the human psyche, and the secrets we keep to save ourselves.
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First published December 18, 2012
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About the author
Lydia R. Cooper
6 books5 followersLydia R. Cooper is an author and educator who lives in Omaha, Nebraska.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
May 22, 2013
This was a book that surprised me a bit. I expected a thriller, just a regular genre story, so I found myself smiling at how carefully it was constructed, how lyrically it was written. Definitely not what I expected.
The main character, Michaela, is one of the more interesting protagonists I’ve read about in a while. She is so well constructed that, as strange as her behavior usually is, it doesn’t come off as that peculiar and we feel ourselves identifying with her thoughts. Which, of course, since Michaela is a borderline sociopath, should lead us to delve deeper into ourselves to see why we identify with her at all.
Which brings me to the writing. It really is a skillfully written book, revealing only as much as the protagonist wants us to know and filling in the holes bit by bit. I do have to say I felt the ending was a bit rushed. I would have liked more of an explanation so as to fully grasp what happened between Michaela and her brother, Dave. Since the rest of the book is so well paced, the speed at the end felt wrong.
This is definitely one I’d recommend to lovers of thrillers as well as literary fiction, and it’s not every day I can recommend one book for both of those genres!
The main character, Michaela, is one of the more interesting protagonists I’ve read about in a while. She is so well constructed that, as strange as her behavior usually is, it doesn’t come off as that peculiar and we feel ourselves identifying with her thoughts. Which, of course, since Michaela is a borderline sociopath, should lead us to delve deeper into ourselves to see why we identify with her at all.
Which brings me to the writing. It really is a skillfully written book, revealing only as much as the protagonist wants us to know and filling in the holes bit by bit. I do have to say I felt the ending was a bit rushed. I would have liked more of an explanation so as to fully grasp what happened between Michaela and her brother, Dave. Since the rest of the book is so well paced, the speed at the end felt wrong.
This is definitely one I’d recommend to lovers of thrillers as well as literary fiction, and it’s not every day I can recommend one book for both of those genres!
January 14, 2013
From its synopsis and the claim that the main character, Micaela (“Mickey”), acts like a combination of Lisbeth Salander and Dexter Morgan, I had some pretty high expectations of this debut novel. Unfortunately, the book did not meet them. Its claims were a bit too generous. Though Mickey did share some of the qualities of these other legendary characters of modern fiction. Like Lisbeth, she was a tough young woman and like Dexter she was a diagnosed sociopath from a young age, but Mickey shared none of the charm and cunning that made both of these characters so memorable and sympathetic. Instead, her condition excused all of her behavior and was repetitively mentioned again and again. The book fell under more of the literary mystery category with its university setting, but the graphic descriptions of violence and the deceased pushed it more into the horror genre. The plot held few surprises, but what slowed down the pacing (and lessened my interest) was the constant stream of quotidien, mundane details. These advanced neither the plot nor the characters and really caused my interest to wane in the overall story arc. It wasn’t a terrible book, by any means, but it really wasn’t what I had been hoping for...
April 21, 2013
‘For in that sleep of death what dreams may come…’
‘And then there’s me, the middle child. I live in the garage and say “fuck” too much, but I never whine about the rain or the cold, I rarely eat dead animals, and I haven’t killed a man since I was ten.’
Mickey has been to enough shrinks and therapists in her life to know she’s not ‘normal’. But she’d like to be, and her great fear is that she’s destined to become a serial killer. She dreams about blood, murder and torture and battles every day to make sure these dreams don’t turn into reality. So when she receives an anonymous note which leads her to the discovery of a horrifically mutilated corpse, she doesn’t react the way you or I would…
Mickey is a fascinating character. Billed by the publisher’s blurb as a cross between Salander and Dexter, she’s much more than either of these. The story is told in the first person, so we get inside Mickey’s mind and it’s a dark and disturbing place to be. But the author’s skill lies in making us see past the horrors Mickey conjures for us to catch a glimpse of the vulnerable, damaged soul beneath. There are aspects of the book that are truly gruesome - and a warning: there is a scene of animal cruelty that is upsetting, though I felt it was in context and the author managed to handle it in a way that kept it just this side of unbearable.
To some extent, this reads like a coming-of-age novel. As Mickey tries to get to the truth of what happened to the victim, she is forced into contact with people and begins to re-evaluate herself and her early life. Gradually the veneer is stripped off her seemingly perfect family, and it becomes clear that Mickey isn’t the odd-woman-out as much as we, and she, thought. The author never has Mickey overtly question how much impact her family has had on her personality but nonetheless the question hangs in the air.
And in case I’ve made the book sound too bleak and horrible, I should mention there’s some really good humour in there too –
'When she finishes decorating the platter I say, “That looks really great.” She looks at me and the skin across her forehead smoothes out. She starts to smile. I worry that she might take my compliment for an invitation to tell me about her grandchildren’s tonsillitis. So I say, “I mean, for pre-digested subcutaneous fat deposits from hormone injected animals.”'
And some wonderful use of language – on the subject of the house still containing the undiscovered mutilated corpse ‘A house gravid with death.’
There are problems with the book too, the main one being that the cast of characters is small and there aren’t enough red herrings, which meant that the solution wasn’t a surprise. But the writing is excellent and the plot shows real originality. I read the book in two longish sessions and was fascinated, appalled, entertained and moved in equal measure. A dark and difficult read, not for the squeamish, but a debut that makes me both eager and terrified to see where this author takes me in the future.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher.
‘And then there’s me, the middle child. I live in the garage and say “fuck” too much, but I never whine about the rain or the cold, I rarely eat dead animals, and I haven’t killed a man since I was ten.’
Mickey has been to enough shrinks and therapists in her life to know she’s not ‘normal’. But she’d like to be, and her great fear is that she’s destined to become a serial killer. She dreams about blood, murder and torture and battles every day to make sure these dreams don’t turn into reality. So when she receives an anonymous note which leads her to the discovery of a horrifically mutilated corpse, she doesn’t react the way you or I would…
Mickey is a fascinating character. Billed by the publisher’s blurb as a cross between Salander and Dexter, she’s much more than either of these. The story is told in the first person, so we get inside Mickey’s mind and it’s a dark and disturbing place to be. But the author’s skill lies in making us see past the horrors Mickey conjures for us to catch a glimpse of the vulnerable, damaged soul beneath. There are aspects of the book that are truly gruesome - and a warning: there is a scene of animal cruelty that is upsetting, though I felt it was in context and the author managed to handle it in a way that kept it just this side of unbearable.
To some extent, this reads like a coming-of-age novel. As Mickey tries to get to the truth of what happened to the victim, she is forced into contact with people and begins to re-evaluate herself and her early life. Gradually the veneer is stripped off her seemingly perfect family, and it becomes clear that Mickey isn’t the odd-woman-out as much as we, and she, thought. The author never has Mickey overtly question how much impact her family has had on her personality but nonetheless the question hangs in the air.
And in case I’ve made the book sound too bleak and horrible, I should mention there’s some really good humour in there too –
'When she finishes decorating the platter I say, “That looks really great.” She looks at me and the skin across her forehead smoothes out. She starts to smile. I worry that she might take my compliment for an invitation to tell me about her grandchildren’s tonsillitis. So I say, “I mean, for pre-digested subcutaneous fat deposits from hormone injected animals.”'
And some wonderful use of language – on the subject of the house still containing the undiscovered mutilated corpse ‘A house gravid with death.’
There are problems with the book too, the main one being that the cast of characters is small and there aren’t enough red herrings, which meant that the solution wasn’t a surprise. But the writing is excellent and the plot shows real originality. I read the book in two longish sessions and was fascinated, appalled, entertained and moved in equal measure. A dark and difficult read, not for the squeamish, but a debut that makes me both eager and terrified to see where this author takes me in the future.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher.
May 29, 2013
I received a copy of this through a Goodreads giveaway.
In all of the books I have read, I have never found a character more fascinating that Michaela (Mickey) Brandis. I was hooked in the first few pages. I have to say that Mickey is probably my favorite fictional character to date. The entire novel is written in her matter-of-fact voice. You see the emotions of others and it's definitely a jarring contrast to Mickey's lack of emotions.
This novel is slated as a mystery and a thriller. I found it to be a little different than most mysteries and thrillers. There are two mysteries that Mickey needs to solve: who killed and mutilated the homeless man in the condemned home, and who killed Aidan's mother twenty years prior. Usually with a mystery or a thriller, you find danger lurking at every step. Not so with My Second Death.
There's also one more mystery lurking in those pages: what happened to cause Mickey to kill a man when she was ten? Clues are scattered throughout the novel, little mentions here and there of things that occurred when Mickey was a child, both leading up to and after the murder she committed.
Throughout the novel, you watch as Mickey awkwardly deals with the emotions of her parents, younger brother, and other people she encounters. She has a close relationship with her older brother, though he seems to be going in a downward spiral with drugs again. The only other person she seems to be able to relate to in any way is her roommate, Aidan.
There aren't a lot of shock moments, as many mysteries have. No red herrings to draw Mickey into danger or away from the culprit. It's almost as if the murderer wants Mickey to figure out who killed the homeless man. Later a homeless woman Mickey has befriended (in a way) is also murdered. And while the reader can probably figure out the killer at that point, it's not revealed until much later. And Mickey herself doesn't seem to figure it out either.
I really, really enjoyed this book. While it would be have been wonderful to have more action, I was so captivated by the characters that it didn't matter. I honestly don't think that there is any part of this book that I did not like, except perhaps that the ending was pretty fast-paced compared to the rest of the book and felt it was a little awkward compared to the slow pace of the rest of the novel.
In all of the books I have read, I have never found a character more fascinating that Michaela (Mickey) Brandis. I was hooked in the first few pages. I have to say that Mickey is probably my favorite fictional character to date. The entire novel is written in her matter-of-fact voice. You see the emotions of others and it's definitely a jarring contrast to Mickey's lack of emotions.
This novel is slated as a mystery and a thriller. I found it to be a little different than most mysteries and thrillers. There are two mysteries that Mickey needs to solve: who killed and mutilated the homeless man in the condemned home, and who killed Aidan's mother twenty years prior. Usually with a mystery or a thriller, you find danger lurking at every step. Not so with My Second Death.
There's also one more mystery lurking in those pages: what happened to cause Mickey to kill a man when she was ten? Clues are scattered throughout the novel, little mentions here and there of things that occurred when Mickey was a child, both leading up to and after the murder she committed.
Throughout the novel, you watch as Mickey awkwardly deals with the emotions of her parents, younger brother, and other people she encounters. She has a close relationship with her older brother, though he seems to be going in a downward spiral with drugs again. The only other person she seems to be able to relate to in any way is her roommate, Aidan.
There aren't a lot of shock moments, as many mysteries have. No red herrings to draw Mickey into danger or away from the culprit. It's almost as if the murderer wants Mickey to figure out who killed the homeless man. Later a homeless woman Mickey has befriended (in a way) is also murdered. And while the reader can probably figure out the killer at that point, it's not revealed until much later. And Mickey herself doesn't seem to figure it out either.
I really, really enjoyed this book. While it would be have been wonderful to have more action, I was so captivated by the characters that it didn't matter. I honestly don't think that there is any part of this book that I did not like, except perhaps that the ending was pretty fast-paced compared to the rest of the book and felt it was a little awkward compared to the slow pace of the rest of the novel.
July 23, 2013
I saw this book at the local library and was immediately interested.
Set in the U.S.A., the narrative is in the first person. Mickey Brandisis a doctoral candidate with mental health issues which color the way she sees the world including her parents and two brothers--one older and one younger.
Brilliant in some ways and hobbled in others, she tries to make sense of past events in her life including a family boarder who she killed by pushing down the basement stairs when she was ten. Set against present events which also include death, she moves out of her parents' garage and in with a male room mate who asks here to solve an old mystery surrounding his mother's death. Although Mickey talks about a mental health diagnosis in the past, readers wonder--what is really going on in her mind?
Seeking out her own answers to the death and what is in her mind while dealing with her artistic, wild older brother Dave and his erratic ways, lead us to a climax in this sharply written book.
The author Lydia Cooper has plenty of unique turns of phrase which give this book delicious imagery throughout, as well as sometimes making the reader do cartwheels of the mind. What I liked most about the book was the revelation to the reader of what it is like to be someone like Mickey who doesn't see the world like the rest of us do, and is prone to think that we are forever stuck and can never change. Although I was able to guess some of the book's plot half way through, the ending is nevertheless very satisfying.
One of the stronger new books (published 2013) that I've read this year.
Set in the U.S.A., the narrative is in the first person. Mickey Brandisis a doctoral candidate with mental health issues which color the way she sees the world including her parents and two brothers--one older and one younger.
Brilliant in some ways and hobbled in others, she tries to make sense of past events in her life including a family boarder who she killed by pushing down the basement stairs when she was ten. Set against present events which also include death, she moves out of her parents' garage and in with a male room mate who asks here to solve an old mystery surrounding his mother's death. Although Mickey talks about a mental health diagnosis in the past, readers wonder--what is really going on in her mind?
Seeking out her own answers to the death and what is in her mind while dealing with her artistic, wild older brother Dave and his erratic ways, lead us to a climax in this sharply written book.
The author Lydia Cooper has plenty of unique turns of phrase which give this book delicious imagery throughout, as well as sometimes making the reader do cartwheels of the mind. What I liked most about the book was the revelation to the reader of what it is like to be someone like Mickey who doesn't see the world like the rest of us do, and is prone to think that we are forever stuck and can never change. Although I was able to guess some of the book's plot half way through, the ending is nevertheless very satisfying.
One of the stronger new books (published 2013) that I've read this year.
January 29, 2022
This was depressing af and kind of sick lol
June 7, 2017
god, idk what to rate this! 3.5? i liked it and i think Mickey is a fantastic character, but there were some things like pacing and Aiden's character that were off for me.
so, this book is shelved as thriller, mystery, etc. but imo, it's really not. yes, there are two "mysteries" that Mickey is trying to get answers to, but those are not the driving force of the book. the driving force is how she, as an admitted sociopath, navigates her family and trying to live on her own and resist the brutally detached and violent fantasies she has. and yet it's not ALL she is because... i think Mickey is ~IMPORTANT~ as a female protagonist because she is not a stable person, she is not a good person, she has killed and has the capacity to do it again -- but it not glamorized, whether as sexy or so-bad-it's-fun. it's allowed to be part of her character and part of the book without being all there is.
the book also, I don't want to say really examines because I don't think it gets quite that deep, but demonstrates that there are different types of sociopaths, and there's a difference between Mickey, who has extremely twisted urges and may not feel anything but controls it, and someone who is perfectly "normal" but abuses people because they can.
but as for pacing, it was very slow in the beginning and everything very quickly wraps up at the end. and the ending makes SENSE, i just think it could have slowed down a little. also, while there's nothing terribly wrong with Aiden, i think he was a little TOO white-knight towards Mickey.
couple notes:
1. the "no romance" shelf -- there are what you could consider hints, but nothing ever established, so i'm counting it.
2. warnings: violent descriptions of human bodies and deaths and mutilation (usually Mickey imagining/fantasizing, but there are real dead bodies too). there is a particularly terrible and long scene of animal death about halfway through. like seriously, i was reading it on the bus and wanted to go home and puke and cuddle my cats, and i managed to skip 99% of the scene.
so, this book is shelved as thriller, mystery, etc. but imo, it's really not. yes, there are two "mysteries" that Mickey is trying to get answers to, but those are not the driving force of the book. the driving force is how she, as an admitted sociopath, navigates her family and trying to live on her own and resist the brutally detached and violent fantasies she has. and yet it's not ALL she is because... i think Mickey is ~IMPORTANT~ as a female protagonist because she is not a stable person, she is not a good person, she has killed and has the capacity to do it again -- but it not glamorized, whether as sexy or so-bad-it's-fun. it's allowed to be part of her character and part of the book without being all there is.
the book also, I don't want to say really examines because I don't think it gets quite that deep, but demonstrates that there are different types of sociopaths, and there's a difference between Mickey, who has extremely twisted urges and may not feel anything but controls it, and someone who is perfectly "normal" but abuses people because they can.
but as for pacing, it was very slow in the beginning and everything very quickly wraps up at the end. and the ending makes SENSE, i just think it could have slowed down a little. also, while there's nothing terribly wrong with Aiden, i think he was a little TOO white-knight towards Mickey.
couple notes:
1. the "no romance" shelf -- there are what you could consider hints, but nothing ever established, so i'm counting it.
2. warnings: violent descriptions of human bodies and deaths and mutilation (usually Mickey imagining/fantasizing, but there are real dead bodies too). there is a particularly terrible and long scene of animal death about halfway through. like seriously, i was reading it on the bus and wanted to go home and puke and cuddle my cats, and i managed to skip 99% of the scene.
May 16, 2013
My Second Death is the debut novel written by Lydia Cooper featuring a strange, antisocial personality named Mickey Brandis. The novel begins with Mickey finding a strange note leading her to an abandoned crack house where she discovers a body. That isn't the last strange thing that has happened to Mickey, an artist introduced to her through her older brother David convinces her to investigate the murder of his mother. All these occurances definitely disrupt the quiet life Mickey has created for herself after years of therapy and many diagnoses.
My Second Death is engrossing, initally. Mickey is recalling the nightmares she has at times and is explaining a lot about herself. She's very self-aware and is cautious not to go down the road of repeating killing a man again. Mickey is focused on her dissertation and basically surviving in a world she doesn't understand. I wanted so badly to like her but she's so flat that I couldn't muster up enough enthusiasm to continue. I guess that's the point of her. She's unable to express emotions so she comes off in moments of interaction as very stoic. Since I did continue reading and I am happy that I stuck with it. I did not completely see the ending coming. Nor did I foresee any of the revelations to surface.
This debut novel by Lydia Cooper is a good character driven novel that's worth a read. It explores family dynamic, growth, and the human psyche. My Second Death is recommended to fans of psychological thrillers and debut hunters. I can see Lydia Cooper only getting better and someday becoming a force to reckon with in the world of literature.
My Second Death is engrossing, initally. Mickey is recalling the nightmares she has at times and is explaining a lot about herself. She's very self-aware and is cautious not to go down the road of repeating killing a man again. Mickey is focused on her dissertation and basically surviving in a world she doesn't understand. I wanted so badly to like her but she's so flat that I couldn't muster up enough enthusiasm to continue. I guess that's the point of her. She's unable to express emotions so she comes off in moments of interaction as very stoic. Since I did continue reading and I am happy that I stuck with it. I did not completely see the ending coming. Nor did I foresee any of the revelations to surface.
This debut novel by Lydia Cooper is a good character driven novel that's worth a read. It explores family dynamic, growth, and the human psyche. My Second Death is recommended to fans of psychological thrillers and debut hunters. I can see Lydia Cooper only getting better and someday becoming a force to reckon with in the world of literature.
April 17, 2013
My Second Death is a strange book, and although I almost stopped reading on the first page, I held on until I was enthralled.
Book description: "In Lydia Cooper’s wry and absorbing debut novel, we are introduced to Mickey Brandeis, a brilliant twenty-eight year old doctoral candidate in medieval literature who is part Lisbeth Salander and part Dexter."
Yes, the book is creepy, and Mickey is described as a sociopath and/or having antisocial personality disorder. However, after getting over the first few pages and gradually entering Mickey's life and her attempts to behave normally, I found myself invested in Mickey's everyday difficulties and the the way she deals with the horrible murder someone has sent her to discover.
As more information comes to light about Mickey's childhood, I couldn't help but wonder if the various diagnoses that she received were correct. Mickey is a seriously damaged individual, but was she born with these abnormal tendencies or were they reinforced in her childhood?
Here are links to the diagnoses, and while in some ways Mickey's personality fits, in other important ways, it doesn't. The more I read, the more sympathetic I found her character.
Profile of a Sociopath and Antisocial Personality Disorder
An ARC from Net Galley/Adams Media/Tyrus Books.
This one is definitely not for everyone, but it is definitely an intriguing glimpse into a disturbed personality trying to overcome her own deficiencies.
Psychological Thriller. 2013. Print version 336 pages. ISBN-10: 144056129X
Book description: "In Lydia Cooper’s wry and absorbing debut novel, we are introduced to Mickey Brandeis, a brilliant twenty-eight year old doctoral candidate in medieval literature who is part Lisbeth Salander and part Dexter."
Yes, the book is creepy, and Mickey is described as a sociopath and/or having antisocial personality disorder. However, after getting over the first few pages and gradually entering Mickey's life and her attempts to behave normally, I found myself invested in Mickey's everyday difficulties and the the way she deals with the horrible murder someone has sent her to discover.
As more information comes to light about Mickey's childhood, I couldn't help but wonder if the various diagnoses that she received were correct. Mickey is a seriously damaged individual, but was she born with these abnormal tendencies or were they reinforced in her childhood?
Here are links to the diagnoses, and while in some ways Mickey's personality fits, in other important ways, it doesn't. The more I read, the more sympathetic I found her character.
Profile of a Sociopath and Antisocial Personality Disorder
An ARC from Net Galley/Adams Media/Tyrus Books.
This one is definitely not for everyone, but it is definitely an intriguing glimpse into a disturbed personality trying to overcome her own deficiencies.
Psychological Thriller. 2013. Print version 336 pages. ISBN-10: 144056129X
May 16, 2013
The heroine of My Second Death had been described as part Lisbeth Salander and part Dexter. As a huge fan of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series, I was eager to read My Second Death. I admit that I didn't immediately take to the book and it was only on my third attempt that I slowly adjusted to Mickey Brandeis. We learn early on that Mickey killed a man when she was ten. But in a matter of fact voice we also hear that she mutilated the man's body. This was enough to get me to stop reading the first two times.
But on the third attempt, I kept reading and slowly grew accustomed to her unusual and honest point of view. Mickey is removed from the world and has a problem empathizing. She doesn't understand the emotions that drive the people around her. Instead, she operates on logic and tries to keep herself from spiraling into destructive behavior. She keeps in motion, running, working, avoiding personal contact with those around her - all to keep from misbehaving.
When she is tricked into finding a corpse, Mickey's world starts to unravel. Her attempts to fight her compulsions make her a sympathetic character. As she tries help an art student uncover the truth behind a suspicious death 20 years ago, Mickey shows her humanity. it's at this point that her strange compulsions and history stop being a distraction and My Second Death becomes difficult to put down.
But on the third attempt, I kept reading and slowly grew accustomed to her unusual and honest point of view. Mickey is removed from the world and has a problem empathizing. She doesn't understand the emotions that drive the people around her. Instead, she operates on logic and tries to keep herself from spiraling into destructive behavior. She keeps in motion, running, working, avoiding personal contact with those around her - all to keep from misbehaving.
When she is tricked into finding a corpse, Mickey's world starts to unravel. Her attempts to fight her compulsions make her a sympathetic character. As she tries help an art student uncover the truth behind a suspicious death 20 years ago, Mickey shows her humanity. it's at this point that her strange compulsions and history stop being a distraction and My Second Death becomes difficult to put down.
June 11, 2015
BEWARE of spoilers. Remember, one man's bookflap summary is another man's spoiler.
Read this a couple months back, so I'm not able to recollect all the details of plot, character names, etc.
Have great admiration for the way the author seems to convey a sociopathic personality from the inside out. The main character, Gillian Flynn, is a grad student in medieval lit, who is bright but cannot form healthy relationships.
However, she's not half as twisted as her supposedly normal older brother. Who sets Gillian up several times to be taken as the perpetrator of serious crime.
What raises the goosebumps is that Gillian knows what the brother's doing. And doesn't mind. At least not for many years.
At story's end, there's hope Gillian may be able to learn to live with pain or disappointment and yet relate normally to people. (Clue: emerging boyfriend who can handle her weirdest quirks).
To me, the publisher did not have adequate faith in this book because the jacket text categorizes "My Second Death" as a mere murder mystery. It is, in fact, the story of an existential crisis.
I grew up in the eastern suburbs of Cleveland, so I'm partial to a story set in nearby Akron, Ohio.
Read this a couple months back, so I'm not able to recollect all the details of plot, character names, etc.
Have great admiration for the way the author seems to convey a sociopathic personality from the inside out. The main character, Gillian Flynn, is a grad student in medieval lit, who is bright but cannot form healthy relationships.
However, she's not half as twisted as her supposedly normal older brother. Who sets Gillian up several times to be taken as the perpetrator of serious crime.
What raises the goosebumps is that Gillian knows what the brother's doing. And doesn't mind. At least not for many years.
At story's end, there's hope Gillian may be able to learn to live with pain or disappointment and yet relate normally to people. (Clue: emerging boyfriend who can handle her weirdest quirks).
To me, the publisher did not have adequate faith in this book because the jacket text categorizes "My Second Death" as a mere murder mystery. It is, in fact, the story of an existential crisis.
I grew up in the eastern suburbs of Cleveland, so I'm partial to a story set in nearby Akron, Ohio.
July 29, 2013
My Second Death is the debut novel of Lydia Cooper. From page one, with the lively biting prose of someone who clearly has an English degree and knows how to use it, she establishes this character of Michaela "Mickey" Brandeis--a psychologically troubled, but wonderfully intelligent graduate student in literature. With every carefully crafted phrase, so precisely worded, the reader feels like there in the head of a psychologically damaged graduate student who once killed a man when she was ten.
This balance of Mickey as an anti-social, psychologically damaged young women, who dismisses basic human emotion is upset when she is thrust into a intricately wound collection of murders that she feels compelled to solve.
My Second Death is more than Dexter meets Lisbeth Salander as billed on the back cover, but also tells a rather black and morbid story of family loyalty that leads the reader to question everything they think they know about these characters and the story itself. Although the final thirty or so pages drift into bizzaro territory, My Second Death is a dark literary review, that could be on a Hollywood movie screen someday.
This balance of Mickey as an anti-social, psychologically damaged young women, who dismisses basic human emotion is upset when she is thrust into a intricately wound collection of murders that she feels compelled to solve.
My Second Death is more than Dexter meets Lisbeth Salander as billed on the back cover, but also tells a rather black and morbid story of family loyalty that leads the reader to question everything they think they know about these characters and the story itself. Although the final thirty or so pages drift into bizzaro territory, My Second Death is a dark literary review, that could be on a Hollywood movie screen someday.
May 10, 2013
Mickey killed a man when she was 10 years old, but it's what she did afterward that has blighted her life. Sentenced by doctors as a psychopath, with debilitating social issues, she has nevertheless become a gifted medieval scholar.
Then things start to change. Someone leaves an anonymous note that leads her to a mutilated body. She decides to move away from her parents and into an apartment. Her roommate doesn't treats her as though she were normal and even asks for her help. She reaches out to a homeless person who may have witnessed a murder.
As the story unfolds, Mickey shows surprising emotion for an anti-social personality and it begins to seem that she is being manipulated.
Mickey doesn't know who is pulling her strings, or why they would do so. But she begins to break out of her old life in an effort to solve the mystery.
Although the plot was somewhat predictable, I could see the bad guy way before Mickey did, I enjoyed watching Mickey break out of the mold she'd been fitted into. Good story with appealing characters.
Then things start to change. Someone leaves an anonymous note that leads her to a mutilated body. She decides to move away from her parents and into an apartment. Her roommate doesn't treats her as though she were normal and even asks for her help. She reaches out to a homeless person who may have witnessed a murder.
As the story unfolds, Mickey shows surprising emotion for an anti-social personality and it begins to seem that she is being manipulated.
Mickey doesn't know who is pulling her strings, or why they would do so. But she begins to break out of her old life in an effort to solve the mystery.
Although the plot was somewhat predictable, I could see the bad guy way before Mickey did, I enjoyed watching Mickey break out of the mold she'd been fitted into. Good story with appealing characters.
July 31, 2014
Tremendous points for an anti-heroine with a pretty unique voice. She's not quite any of Gillian Flynn's psycho darlings, and she's not Dexter no matter what the blurbs say.
Her emotions (save the ones that express irritation) are muted in all respects. She's got that autistic confusion of not being able to understand why her dear mother is crying, and her only real human connection is with her flamboyent, troublemaking poet brother.
She accepts that she's a psycho. After all, she's obsessed with death, blood and carnage. She killed a man when she was ten and mutilated the body, cool as ice. Of course she's crazy.
But maybe not quite in the way she thinks. Maybe there were other forces at work in her life, tweaking and guiding, making her believe she was something she wasn't.
Well, once she meets that nice new guy her brother brings home AND finds that beautifully eviscerated corpse in that crack house, she's starting to find out.
Her emotions (save the ones that express irritation) are muted in all respects. She's got that autistic confusion of not being able to understand why her dear mother is crying, and her only real human connection is with her flamboyent, troublemaking poet brother.
She accepts that she's a psycho. After all, she's obsessed with death, blood and carnage. She killed a man when she was ten and mutilated the body, cool as ice. Of course she's crazy.
But maybe not quite in the way she thinks. Maybe there were other forces at work in her life, tweaking and guiding, making her believe she was something she wasn't.
Well, once she meets that nice new guy her brother brings home AND finds that beautifully eviscerated corpse in that crack house, she's starting to find out.
April 15, 2013
This book started off a little slow for me, but as I keep reading it has picked up and so far I like it. A little freaked out that the one characters name is the same as my son and his mothers name is the same as mine. Again with the names, as I kept reading the book, my daughters name came in. Weird.
But I liked the book, it stalled in a few places and left me wanting in a few others. I wasnt real happy with the ending but I wasnt overly upset or disappointed either.
It's a book worth reading.
But I liked the book, it stalled in a few places and left me wanting in a few others. I wasnt real happy with the ending but I wasnt overly upset or disappointed either.
It's a book worth reading.
Want to read
February 18, 2013I received a copy of this book free through Goodreads first Reads.
I work at a Senior/Youth center and donate all print books I win in giveaways to the library.
I hope I get a chance to check this one out in the near future!!!
I can say it must be a really good read because it has been checked out since I added it to the library shelves!!
I work at a Senior/Youth center and donate all print books I win in giveaways to the library.
I hope I get a chance to check this one out in the near future!!!
I can say it must be a really good read because it has been checked out since I added it to the library shelves!!
Read
April 1, 2013GUTGed on page 46, by which point I could only hope the narrator, who didn't start out endearing, and went downhill from there, ends up taking her place among the murder victims. I doubt that's how it goes down, and I don't care enough to find out. Well-written, though.
Animal cruelty weenies like me would be well-advised to stay away from this one.
Animal cruelty weenies like me would be well-advised to stay away from this one.
July 24, 2013
This book is ok. The author seems to rely on a lot of media stereotypes about Antisocial Personality Disorder. If you don't know what it is, either, it probably won't bother you.
It almost reminds me of books by Gillian Flynn, because the main character is quite flawed and a bit twisted. If you like that, you might like this.
It almost reminds me of books by Gillian Flynn, because the main character is quite flawed and a bit twisted. If you like that, you might like this.
October 8, 2019
The mysteries almost take second place to the characters in this fascinating novel. The heroine is challenged by her past and present in daily living and I found her very engaging. Some descriptions and activities are not for the squeamish..
July 30, 2013
I really enjoyed this book. It was well written and hard to put down. What engaged me most was not so much the murder mystery as the exploration of Mickey's character and the questions of right and wrong. This was a smartly written story and while it was dark it was not hopeless.
September 28, 2014
Took me a while to finish. It's because it's a difficult read. Emotionally difficult. We're truly in the head of a sociopath, and we're rooting for her the whole way. Even when she picks up the knife and imagines the feel of cutting someone.
What a hell of a read
What a hell of a read
March 18, 2013
Not at all as promised- the character is nothing like Lisbeth Salander or Dexter Morgan. The book is definitely a skip.
May 2, 2013
A haunting story of serial killers, dead bodies and psychosis. Excellently written.
September 3, 2016
Great writing -- can't wait to see what else she does
September 5, 2013
Great debut novel for Lydia Cooper. I enjoyed this book, but could have done without some of the graphic details. If you like Gillian Flynn's books, give this one a try.
March 30, 2014
Interesting concept for a character. For me, the story fell flat and I couldn't even bring myself to finish it.
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