Book Review: The Murder of Faith by William Holms

If you’re looking for a fresh suspense/thriller, you should look no further than William Holms’ “The Killing of Faith”. This book will take you on an exciting journey about the rise and fall of a woman.

It all starts and ends with Faith. The story, told in the first person by Faith herself, opens with a very dark but vague current setting. A framework that is periodically revisited over the chapters and that contrasts sharply with the past. She takes us back to her childhood and patiently goes through the major events of her life: engagement, marriage, motherhood.

Faith is the kind of beautiful girl who is well aware of her beauty and doesn’t hesitate to use it to her advantage. She finds little interest in school, instead she prefers hanging out with her friends, shopping and the boys. One boy in particular. Thus, she enters into a tumultuous relationship which eventually leads her to drop out of school and leave her parents’ home for another town. Faith leaves everything for a man and a new beginning. But she doesn’t understand either. Her dreams are collapsing and so is she. At least until another man comes into her life and she rebuilds herself through him. This becomes a repeating pattern with some minor variations. Faith seems to have an innate drive to seek completion in someone else and it pushes her to the brink of life.

What’s great about this book is its growing suspense. And this suspense testifies to the skills of William Holms. It all starts with the title, “The Killing of Faith”. So naturally the reader expects Faith to be killed at some point. But so many questions arise: why? How? By who? And as the pages of the book seem to be running out and Faith is still very much alive, one begins to wonder if this will really happen again or if it was all just a ruse. This tense anticipation is the main driving force that keeps you flipping through page after page.

It’s not one of those books that hooks you with a nurturing love for the main character, quite the contrary…yet the author manages to elicit feelings of sympathy and compassion for Faith as she encounters difficulties. Also, his childish naivety remains an endearing quality. The character sways carefully on the edge of a caricaturistic representation of women and this is one of the elements that arouse such strong feelings of ambivalence towards her.

“The Killing of Faith” is a captivating read, but it’s not a book for all ages, as there are explicit scenes and vulgar language. What’s more, the sequel is already in the works by William Holms.