It’s official: I’m a big fan of author Max Barry. I started with Syrup over 20 years ago, and recently I’ve really enjoyed Providence, Machine Man, and now The 22 Murders of Madison May.
This most recent addition to the list is, in my opinion, the best structured of all Barry books I’ve read. Every step along the way the reader is given enough information to understand what’s currently happening, wonder what’s really going on, and have some clues to guess what will happen next. This is the case in all of Barry’s books, but it’s perfectly executed in The 22 Murders of Madison May.
Like any of his books, it’s hard to talk about the novel without spoiling anything. So I’ll offer two brief descriptions, one that doesn’t spoil anything beyond the first chapter, and one that goes a little further.
First Chapter: Real estate agent Madison May has an unexpected, horrifying encounter while showing a property to a young man.
A Little Further: There are multiple universes, each with slightly different versions of Madison May, but all versions of her suffer a similar fate. It’s up to the protagonist to figure out why and how to stop it from happening again.
I’d love to hear your thoughts if you’ve read this book or others like it!
I’ve only read two Max Barry books. I liked Lexicon, but I loved Jennifer Government which I’d recommend if you haven’t tried it.
Will check out 22 Murdeers 👊🏼💥
Thanks! I think those are the two I haven’t read.