I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai is a whodunit mystery about victimhood and the American justice system. The novel is a slow burn not relying on big twists but having different viewpoints as we get older. I did not guess who did it in the end, the novel does a good job of drawing the process out and giving you reasons to believe and doubt a myriad of suspects. The writing is good and different from other mysteries, as the main character Bodie has her own bias and is determining her feelings about victimhood and the predator/prey relationship, as she is drawn with empathy to the victimhood of her ex-roommate compared to her shading the victim when it comes to the ex-husband. The story is a slow burn with slow being the main word. I feel the novel works in too many subplots some that affect the main story and some that barely connect. This novel could have dropped 60 pages of subplots and be darn near perfect. This is an interesting story when you reach the end you are satisfied because you know who did it but you’re left unfulfilled because it kind of doesn’t matter anymore and it has been 24 years. The novel took me back to the 1990s through its effective flashbacks, I could hear the music and imagine the clothes very well. I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai was published on February 21, 2023, by Viking.

Plot Summary: Bodie Kane is a successful podcaster the analyzes film stars mysteries like Natalie Wood’s death and The Black Dahlia murder. She gets invited back to her old boarding school Granby, to teach a class on film and podcasting. This is a big deal for Bodie to come back it was not one of the best experiences she did not fit in and her roommate was murdered on the campus. Bodie had convinced herself that the murder was solved 24 years ago, but as she assigns her podcast students the history of Granby one student focuses on the murder and that the wrong man was charged. Bodie starts remembering things from the past and with a different viewpoint than 24 years ago and she comes up with 9 suspects including herself as the 10th suspect.

What I Liked: The writing and analysis of the groomer and the victim are interesting and we get both sides. I liked the self-analysis on victimhood. I enjoyed all the different scenarios she came up with for all the murder suspects and even herself. The writing about victims and all the questions and scenarios that one can go through, I thought the writing was very poetic and is throughout the book. The review of the justice system and the lawyers not wanting to give all the facts to confuse the judge and jury. The majority of the flashbacks scenes were written well, my favorite was Omar and the girls’ rowing crew.

What I Disliked: The subplots that don’t go anywhere. I liked the husband’s abuse of power and the questions it brought up but felt like it was too long of a subplot and distracted too much from the main plot and only minimally affects Bodie in the long run. The subplot about her roommate at Granby when she returns to teach and the relationship with the roommate and teacher at Granby. Bodie was hard to identify with as a character. The story moved too slowly.

Recommendations and Rating: This is my first Rebecca Makkai novel this book has been highly recommended, the writing was the standout and the main mystery was good even though it took me a little bit too long to get invested, but the subplots and way too many characters slowed the book down for me. The story reminded me of My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell meets In the Woods by Tana French. If you like a slow build mystery that looks at the American Justice system then this is the novel for you. I rated this novel 3 stars out of 5. This was a hard one to rate I felt the writing and word choice were too good for 3 stars and the plot and way the story was told was a solid 3 stars. I think the writing itself is too good for me not to try out another Rebecca Makkai book.