1. MELROSE BOOKS REPORT
Title: One Hard Bitch
Author: Sam Hope
Genre: Fiction: Fictional thriller
OneHard Bitch is whatI’d call botha thrillerandablack comedy,thoughthe subjectmatterisfar
fromfunny.It chroniclesthe journeyof one Victoria“Vicky”Sterling.Vickyiseversotwisted,ever
so downtrodden,tothe pointthatwe sometimesdon’tknow how toempathies.Fortunatelyfor
us,she has beenwrittenasa vibrantand authenticbeing,equallyrepulsive andcharming.This
starts to define herasa distant,cool,emotionallynumbperson,albeitone withacapacityfor
violence.
At the age of 15 Vickyisraped. Eventhoughit affectsher,itdoesnotconsume her.I stopthere for
a secondbecause thisisone of Vicky’smostwell-writtentraits–heremotional numbnesstoall
but a fewthings.It’sverydeepandskilfulcharacterizationthatdeservesparticularnote.
She has a backgroundthat screams‘psychopathindevelopment’whilewe rootforher to
overcome herdaemons andlive alife of normality.
Everytime that seemspossible,somethingelse comesalong.We starttorealize thattrouble will
alwaysfindthislady,andinmany regards,herconditioninghasbecome anasset.I feltmystified
by herabilitytoshrugoff the tormentsof rape and sexual subjugation.It’safascinatingparadigm
of compartmentalizationandlearnedhelplessness.
Thoughthese traitsgive herthe edge she needsinthe brutalitythatisherworld.Insome regards
we feel forVicky,thatmuchcrappedupon wretchof a girl.In otherwayswe cheeron her violent
streakand no-nonsense independence.It’saheadystreakof complexitythatkeepsthe reader
turningthe pages.Althoughthe storyitself isrelativelysimple andeasytofollow,itisVickythatis
the centerpiece.The authorshouldfeel proudof creatingsuchacompellingplayer.
Thisis easyto read,entertainingandquite humorousinthe bleakestwaypossible.Itsblack-
comedyelementsare darkand offbeatastheyconstantlyraindowna torrentof bad luckand
trouble uponourheroine.Itisconstructedinsimple terms,whichisneverabad thing.The writing
itself iscolloquial andquick.
Withits strongleadcharacter and compellingexposition, OneHard Bitch is a twistedbuthard to
put downfiction.It’sequal partsfun,creepy,twisted,measuredandentertaining.Ithinkthis
coulddo quite well toloversof adult fiction.The themesmaybe shocking,hyper-sexual attimes
and oh-so-definitelyadult,buttheykeepthe readerengagednonetheless.