Honey, Imani Thompson (Review by Stacey Lorenson)

Rating: 5.0/5 Stars

“The thing with being a young Black girl is, the world isn’t made for you. You learn (in textbooks) … that ‘freedom’ is a word you gave the world.” Imani Thompson, Honey

It began with a spontaneous revenge killing that satisfied a dormant urge for superiority and control. What follows is a masterful narration of a young woman’s disdain for the patriarchy and her insatiable appetite for justice. Readers witness this morally grey character and her unconventional solution to balance of social and sexual transgressions.

Twenty-four-year-old Yrsa finds herself deeply unfulfilled with her job, friends, and romantic conquests. She is slogging along trying to complete her PhD program at Cambridge University as an undergraduate supervisor. A friend confides a professor stole her research and walked back a promise to leave his wife, prompting Yrsa to protect her. Once the offending professor has been eliminated, Yrsa experiences a renewed interest in life. After the endorphin kick of murder subsides, she finds herself researching the next deserving victim. Killing for feminine justice and racial equality sustains her, as she does her part to reduce the population of menacing predators. That’s not wrong, is it? O.K., maybe the murder part….

I found this masterfully written contemporary mystery-suspense novel incredibly satisfying. Debut author, Imani Thompson, has created a psychopathic serial killer that is disturbingly relatable. Yrsa is anything but one dimensional. Her urge to kill and her motivations are equally compelling. Yrsa’s pivotal relationships with her mother and grandmother, and the secrets that are intertwined between the women, offer further depth to this complicated anti-hero’s story. Honey is an enthralling dark novel that is serving bracing wit, spot on social commentary, and strategic feminist rage. With its taut pacing, and absorbing plot, the sleepless nights you spend finishing this deliciously wicked novel will be worth it!