True Crime by Samantha Kolesnik
Published by Grindhouse Press, January 2020
[Suzy and her brother, Lim, live with their abusive mother in a town where the stars don’t shine at night. Once the abuse becomes too much to handle, the two siblings embark on a sordid cross-country murder spree beginning with their mom. As the murder tally rises, Suzy’s mental state spirals into irredeemable madness.]
Waif was my original introduction to the work of Samantha Kolesnik so I knew when picking this up that her work, however short was going to pack a punch. True Crime does just that.
We are dropped into a day in the life for Suzy (and her brother Lim) who live with their abusive mother. Abuse comes in many forms and it’s clear that Suzy has experienced them all at the hands of her family (all except Lim who is her brother, her protector, her family and partner in crime so to speak).
What happens to a person that has lived their whole life being abused?
How do they think, view themselves, view the world around them?
How do they handle emotions like love, trust, guilt, anger, empathy and regret?
This is a peek into Suzy’s mind and how she’s been shaped by her life to date. Suzy’s world and mind are troubled and the story takes you on a ride that seems non-stop from the beginning. I don’t think you’ll walk away from this story questioning if Suzy (and Lim) are right or wrong, good or bad.
I don’t feel that’s the point. I think you may feel bad for Suzy, feel bad for Lim, feel bad for the few good people they interacted with. It’s an extreme view to the outcomes of damage and a cycle that repeats. There are moments of hope and many more moments of despair. While the story does deal with a great deal of violence/abuse it’s referenced more than played out – still – it may be too much for some give the sensitive nature of abuse.
