Little Deaths (Flint)

Little Deaths 
Emma Flint, 2017
Hatchette Books
320 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780316272476


Summary
It's 1965 in a tight-knit working-class neighborhood in Queens, New York, and Ruth Malone—a single mother who works long hours as a cocktail waitress—wakes to discover her two small children, Frankie Jr. and Cindy, have gone missing.

Later that day, Cindy's body is found in a derelict lot a half mile from her home, strangled. Ten days later, Frankie Jr.'s decomposing body is found. Immediately, 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 whom prosecutors, the press, and the public have painted as a promiscuous femme fatale.

Did Ruth Malone violently kill her own children, is she a victim of circumstance—or is there something more sinister at play?

Inspired by a true story, Little Deaths, like celebrated novels by Sarah Waters and Megan Abbott, is compelling literary crime fiction that explores the capacity for good and evil in us all. (From the publisher.)

Author Bio
• Birth—1974
• Where—Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England, UK
• Education—University of St. Andrews
• Currently—lives in London, England


Emma Flint is a British writer and novelist, whose debut work, Little Deaths, was published in 2017. The book is based on true-life events in New York City in 1965. Flints works as a technical writer in London, where she lives.

Flint was born in Newcastle upon Tyne in northeast England. She studied English and History at the University of St Andrews and is a graduate of the Faber Academy writing program in London. Since her childhood, Flint has read true-crime accounts, developing an encyclopedic knowledge of real-life murder cases and of notorious historical figures, as well as a fascination with unorthodox women--past, present and fictional. Little Deaths is her first novel. (Adapted from the publisher.)

Book Reviews
Little Deaths, Emma Flint’s mesmerizing debut, works well as a look at misogyny, gossip, morals and the rush to judge others when a child goes missing.... While Flint bases her novel on the real case of Alice Crimmins and her controversial conviction, she turns Little Deaths into a poignant look at a woman fighting for her emotional independence, who keeps her grief, heartbreak and frustrations deep inside her soul.
Oline  H. Dogdill - AP/Washington Post


[D]eftly done.... Flint describes [Ruth's] grief, loss and loneliness with a tough delicacy that is both exact and heart-wrenching.... The opening chapters are gripping....[and] Flint writes powerfully of Ruth’s stunned grief.... The last third of the book, her trial, is absolutely riveting. The ending may or may not convince you, but that is perhaps immaterial: Little Deaths is a strong and confident addition to...novels about flawed, angry, hurt women navigating hostile social and intimate milieus that turn viciously punitive when those women rebel.
Margie Orford - Guardian (UK)


[An] excellent debut...Flint is unsparing and convincing in her portrayal of Malone, a woman of little education and flawed habits, fighting a society that believes she could not be a good mother.
Times (UK)


Wonderfully atmospheric.... Simmering with tension, Little Deaths is a stylish, troubling look at how appearances can deceive.
Express (UK)


This thrilling suspense story will make you question your loyalties at every turn.
Harper's Bazaar


I read this with a dry mouth and a pounding heart—and can think of no higher praise for a literary crime novel.
The Bookseller (UK)


(Starred review.) [A]ffecting, achingly beautiful debut.... This stunning novel is less about whodunit than deeper social issues of motherhood, morals, and the kind of rush to judgment that can condemn someone long before the accused sees the inside of a courtroom.
Publishers Weekly


(Starred review.)  Inspired by true events, Flint explores how people respond to extreme circumstances and how quick observers can be to judge. Verdict: This accomplished debut novel will intrigue fans of both true crime and noir fiction. Flint...is a welcome addition to the world of literary crime fiction.  —Gloria Drake, Oswego P.L. Dist., IL
Library Journal


(Starred review.) Compelling.... [T]he closing scene is a jaw-dropper.... This is absolutely absorbing literary crime fiction.
Booklist


One hot summer in New York, 1965, a sexy, troubled cocktail waitress is suspected of murdering her children.... Since we know where it begins, it seems we know how it must turn out—but there are a few surprises left. Sharply rendered literary noir, compelling enough to forgive a slightly left-field resolution.
Kirkus Reviews

Discussion Questions
We'll add publisher questions if and when they're available; in the meantime, use our LitLovers talking points to start a discussion for Little Deaths...then take off on your own:

1. Describe Ruth Malone. How does the author portray her? Talk about the way Ruth uses make-up (as a mask?) and seems obsessed with her appearance. What about her behavior after the deaths of her children?

2. Follow-up to Question 1: Equally important, how does Emma Flint portray Ruth's life as a single mother of two children, living in a working-class neighborhood in Queens Borough, New York City? Does the author do a good job of depicting the struggle of daily life for Ruth?

3. Why do the police detectives immediately focus in on Ruth; why are they so convinced she is a murderer? Does their alleged motive hold water? How does her behavior solidify their suspicions.

4. Whenever the cops accuse her, Ruth thinks to herself, "They knew nothing of guilt. They were not mothers.” Does this way of thinking—in your eyes—implicate her in anyway, or justify her, or excuse her?

5. What about Pete Wonicke? What motivates him to pursue the case on his own? What makes him suspicious of the police? Or is that he is simply fascinated by or attracted to Ruth?

6. Talk about the social mores of the day and how those mores drove the press and public, to say  nothing of the police, toward a condemnation of Ruth. To what degree, if any, have those attitudes changed in the past 50-so years?

7. Were you taken by surprise by the way the ended?

(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online or off, with attribution. Thanks.)

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