A dark-humor thriller you’ll love to hate

Whether or not you enjoy A Sociopath's Guide to a Successful Marriage hinges almost entirely on whether you can tolerate the main character long enough to get hooked.

The novel drops you into the mind of Lalla, a pretentious wife who stops at nothing to build the future she imagines. As she strives to ensure her husband gets a promotion and their daughter gains entry into a prestigious boarding school, a comedy of errors — and criminal happenings — quickly follow in her wake.

My immediate first take was: what a delightfully quirky character! That feeling didn’t last. Pretty quickly, Lalla's quirky vibe tipped into an intensely unlikable entitlement, and I frequently fought off irritation. By about 100 pages in, though, M.K. Oliver begins to flesh out her character into something a bit more multidimensional and, by extension, more likable. By the end, I genuinely had fun with the plot and found it a solidly entertaining read, albeit one that requires some patience and tolerance.

As a side note, I couldn’t help thinking of Too Old for This, another book that puts you directly inside the mind of a female killer. That book makes the main character oddly charming and gives you the guilty pleasure of rooting for her despite your own morals. A Sociopath's Guide to a Successful Marriage, however, doesn’t take that route, and because of that, I ended the book still unsure of my feelings.

Read this if you like dry wit, dark humor, first-person thrillers, and slow burns with characters you have to learn to love. As a debut novel, this was a solid entry into the market. 3.75 stars that round up.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!