Book Review: This Girl’s a Killer – Emma C. Wells

This book was entertaining and thought-provoking. It inspired and encouraged my feminist side in an unlikely way. No, I do not want or plan on becoming a murderer (murderess?). But I was inspired by Cordelia’s mind and how she viewed people. She had a way of profiling people in a way that was more insightful that most. She took into consideration appearance, as well as body language. She was not swayed by any surface-level qualities of a person. She understood the complexities of humanity and was able to see past the guises people use each day to “blend in” and “be a good person.”

On the other hand, her perspective of humanity was also concerning. On the surface, she had what seemed to be an emotional and psychological strength to her. She overcame a traumatic past and rebuilt herself—literally and figuratively—when she decided to develop a career, change her appearance, and create an independent life for herself with her love devoted to Diane and Sugar. In that sense, Cordelia is wholeheartedly inspiring to me, as a woman; however, we must not forget that her trauma also produced a murderer. Though she killed men who harmed people and were guilty of awful crimes, she still killed people. It made me question, under what circumstances would women be brought to kill? Most obviously, to protect children and loved ones. This violence was tied to a deep love and compassion for not only Diane and Sugar, but for other women who were subjected to the violence and harm brought about by these men. Women like her, but not her.

This compassion, I will argue, is not geared toward herself. She did not actually heal from the trauma from her past. Though she appeared confident, there was a disconnect from her real self. The person she is portrayed herself to be is ‘other’ than the woman—Joanne—she really is underneath it all. She separated Cordelia from Joanne. In doing so, she tried to erase any signs of her past by her life changes and encouraged this attitude of vengeance to ultimately produce a desire to hunt men who were a threat to people like “Joanne.” In a way, she created Cordelia to protect Joanne and women like her. Due to the weight of these men’s crimes, it is agreeable to say that we cannot feel bad that they got their comeuppances. I do not know if it was Wells’ intent, but I do feel empathy towards Cordelia for her lack of healing from her past. It goes to show how other people and life circumstances root themselves within us whether we care to admit it or not. No matter how we try to conceal ourselves with a guise of an imagined person, or whatever other way we try to separate ourselves from our past circumstances, there is an inherent bond. We need to learn to cope, not run from ourselves, otherwise, we will run in a circle right back to our real self.