Review: Love You to Death

My friend and fellow writer, Yvonne, recently shared with me a quote about writing—and while I can’t remember the exact phrasing, the gist was something along the lines of: “Put all of it in. Every idea. Don’t hold back for fear of losing ideas. The more you use, the more will come.” This is terrible paraphrasing, but you understand the point. All of this to say, Christina Dotson‘s debut novel Love You To Death very much reminded me of this writer’s advice. Dotson’s story was packed with twists, turns, and cliffhangers that spilled from one chapter into the next. Just when you think main characters Kayla and Zorie couldn’t possibly get into any more trouble, they somehow end up in an even worse situation. And it is this constant building storm—all the individual characters and components that Dotson adds in—that makes Love You To Death an enjoyable read/listen.

Based in the American South, Love You to Death is a story about best friends Kayla and Zorie—two Black women in their late twenties who live just outside of Atlanta. When we’re first introduced to the pair, they’re working as housekeepers at the Chamberlain Hotel after both serving a year in jail for a minor offense. And if luck isn’t on their side, neither is family. While Kayla has a relationship with her dad, it’s strained by the presence of her stepmother and sister. Zorie, on the other hand, has been disowned by her mother. This lack of family dynamic brings the two women even closer together—as friends, as coworkers and roommates, and as found sisters. But a string of unfortunate events leads Kayla & Zorie from stealing cash boxes at weddings to fleeing the state on charges of manslaughter. Soon, they are dubbed the “Wedding Crasher Killers” in national headlines, and the two women are desperate to outrun the consequences that await them. However, their plans devolve and they’re trapped in a spiral of one thing going wrong after another. Sometimes by happenstance, and other times by their own doing. Eventually, their friendship is tested, leaving Kayla and Zorie to wonder if they ever really knew one another and if everything they’ve been through is worth the cost.

I happened to listen to the audiobook for this title, which was so vividly portrayed by my fellow narrator and PRH mentee, Renika Williams-Blutcher. Where Dotson gives these women substance, Williams-Blutcher gives Kayla and Zorie life. They leap off the page and into your headphones (or speaker) as fully realized people. There is nuance and emotionality. The prose becomes rich with subtext and you truly feel the undercurrent of tension as the suspense continues to build.

There are several things I genuinely loved about the storytelling in this book. First is how cinematic it was. Dotson’s prose in conjunction with Williams-Blutcher’s performance really sets the story in the mind’s eye. Each situation, from the Clairmont Hotel to the country roads of Alabama, were places I could picture with clear detail. What’s truly admirable is that Dotson accomplishes this without needing unnecessary description. Rather, she lets you fill in the blanks with your own imagination. On the note of cinematic imagery, there is scene in particular that stood out to me. About halfway through the novel, the women are caught in a storm while traveling through rural Alabama. Kayla and Zorie’s friendship has been tested, and the seams of their friendship are beginning to fray. They engage in literal and figurative mudslinging. I could see every flash of lightning, every smack of mud against skin, and their desperation to be freed of their hellish circumstances is palpable. And this is just one example of many in the book.

A second thing about Love You to Death that I greatly appreciated was the subversion of expectations. Kayla, while genuine to her audience, is also a flawed narrator. We see and experience everything through her version of the events. She also acts as our moral compass, and—as the friend who seems more grounded in reality—we are likely to believe her. At the risk of not giving spoilers, I will leave you to read the book to understand what I mean. However, there were several moments where I was convinced of one thing only for it to be the opposite. And as far as thrillers go, that’s exactly what I want.

My reason for four stars: while I was always engaged in the story, there were moments where I had to forcibly suspend my disbelief. One after another, the series of unfortunate events kept happening to our two main protagonists to the point that I questioned just how bad someone’s luck could actually be. Though, if you let it slide and know that the best way to create a character is to put them through some real shit, you will thoroughly enjoy the journey.