Title: What I Would Do to You
Author: Georgia Harper
Series: N/A
Dates Read: 22 – 23/08/2024
Published Date: 26 March 2024
Genre: Thriller
Pages: 336
Pace: Slow
Content Warnings (May contain spoilers)
Who is this for? Young Adult, Adult
This book covers:
- Australia in the near-future, where climate change is taken seriously, the meat industry has been reduced, petrol cars have been outlawed, and capital punishment is legal, however must be carried out by the family of the victim
- The POV of a psychologist, assigned to the family intending to carry out the capital punishment on the murderer of their 10-year old daughter, Lucy
- The POV of Hannah, older sister of Lucy, and her struggles with the situation
Format/Disclosure: Library, paperback.
Rating: 5⭐
Review:
Australia in the near-distant future has made changes essential to life continuing, including taking climate change seriously, outlawing petrol vehicles, severely reducing the meat industry, and allowing the family of victims to carry out capital punishment on the perpetrator. We follow the POV of Octavia, a psychologist assigned to the family, and Hannah, the older sister of Lucy. Lucy was murdered when she was 10, and years later, the legal battles are over and the family now have their chance at 24 hours in a closed room with the man who took Lucy’s life.
This story is mostly told from the POV of Octavia, and we rarely seem to flick back to Hannah, plus when we do, her chapters are always short and very secretive. You’re given information without really being given information and have to try and piece the meaning together yourself, until it’s all revealed at a later date. From Octavia’s view, we get to meet the family – Mattie and Stella, the mothers of Sebastian, Hannah, and Lucy. We also later meet Cole, the biological father of the 3 children. We learn of how Stella is still badly struggling, consumed with grief, while Mattie tries to live life to the fullest.
We’re based in Queensland, although the timing is slightly confusing. At the beginning of the book, we seem to be pre-winter, but there are also mentions of May, September, and later the execution month of November. The timeline of the book could have been made a bit clearer, although that could have been me skim-reading parts and skipping over where the author mentions the time of year we’re in. As an Australian, it was easy to picture this farm, especially later in the book when we experience a devastating bushfire – something not uncommon in Australia, especially as it starts heating up.
Considering this was a debut novel, the writing in this book was amazing. It’s a very slow burn, and took me until about 30% of the way through the book to fully get hooked, which is mostly due to my usual reading being a medium- to fast-paced thriller. Once you adjust to the slow pace of the book, it becomes so much more enjoyable. At no point is there any major suspense or mystery, like a typical thriller, but I still found myself not wanting to put the book down. The structure, dialogue and overall writing kept me hooked and none seemed to be just filler (A criticism I have of too many books).
Finishing the book left me feeling almost deflated. The ending wasn’t what I was expecting, and almost felt like a lack of closure (Although it isn’t), but I felt like I had so many questions I hoped would get answered. Which would be exactly the point of that ending.
I also felt like I had so many questions to ask myself. If capital punishment was brought back – would I be able to do it? Would I be able to take the life of someone? Putting myself in the shoes of that family, even though I would be consumed with a burning rage, I just don’t think I would be able to. I would dream about it, and try and convince myself that I could, but I know I wouldn’t. & having those thoughts makes it so much easier to relate to Stella – a mother who has lost her daughter in one of the worst possible ways, who feels as though she has to exact revenge on her daughter’s killer, but knows it will destroy her as a person.
This was an absolutely phenomenal read, but not one to be taken lightly.