Reading Group Online: Little Deaths
Wednesday 10 June / 19.30
In June the Reading Group is moving online to discuss Little Deaths, the bestselling debut novel by Emma Flint.
New York, 1965. Single mother Ruth Malone wakes to discover her two small children are missing. When their bodies are found, all fingers point to Ruth.
As police investigate the murders, the detritus of Ruth's life is exposed. Seen through the eyes of the cops, the empty bourbon bottles and provocative clothing which litter her apartment, the piles of letters from countless men and Ruth's little black book of phone numbers, make her a drunk, a loose woman - and therefore a bad mother. The lead detective, a strict Catholic who believes women belong in the home, leaps to the obvious conclusion: facing divorce and a custody battle, Malone took her children's lives.
Pete Wonicke is a rookie tabloid reporter who finagles an assignment to cover the murders. Determined to make his name in the paper, he begins digging into the case. Pete's interest in the story develops into an obsession with Ruth, and he comes to believe there's something more to the woman that prosecutors, the press, and the public have painted as a promiscuous femme fatale. Did Ruth Malone kill her own children, is she a victim of circumstance - or is there something more sinister at play?
We'll discuss the novel in a live chat on Zoom at 19.30 on Wednesday 10 June. If you're interested in taking part, email Adam on [email protected]
