In “How Can I Help You,” Laura Sims explores how the toxic dynamic between two women drives both to act out in unexpected and dangerous ways.
The novel’s main character is repressed Margot Finch who develops an unhealthy fascination, then paranoia, about her newly hired colleague, Patricia Delmarco.
With references to Shirley Jackson’s “We Have Always Lived in the Castle” and real-life serial killer Jane Toppan, Sims builds a world of intense interior lives and intrigue.
Character Analysis
Characters
Margot Finch
Patricia Delmarco
Julia Mathers
Nasrin
Liz
Yvonnne
Friday Guy
Margot Finch is a damaged, lonely and angry woman running from her past and maintaining only superficial relationships. She doesn’t socialize with her co-workers, Liz and Nasrin, or her boss Yvonne.
After every workday, she returns to her apartment and takes a scalding hot bath before sitting to relive some of the choices that led her to Carlyle and her life as a library assistant. Patricia brings out a side of Margot that’s been repressed for years, which places many people in danger.
Patricia Delmarco mirrors some of Margot’s professional frustration in that she failed to successfully publish her first manuscript. She’s set on using her master’s degree for a noble cause but finds herself bored and insulted by the menial tasks she’s asked to perform. To add to the trouble, her snobby boyfriend, Dan, regards her efforts in Carlyle as a phase and considers libraries homeless shelters.
Carlyle Public Libary patrons Julia Mathers and “Friday Guy” Steve also play important roles. Each meets a demise that is connected to Margot. The unrelated incidents bring the police to the library and further escalate tensions between Margot and Patricia.
Library employees Liz and Nasrin serve as secondary characters that shape Margot’s daily life and prevent her from dwelling on her history too much. In fact, Nasrin and Liz egg on Margot to have weekly confrontations with Friday Guy. Otherwise, they are deliberately underwritten.
Plot Summary
Set in Carlyle, Ill., “How Can I Help You” follows middle-aged Margot Finch who’s spent the last two years working as a library assistant at the Carlyle Public Library. The arrival of a new young cosmopolitan reference librarian from Chicago throws Margot’s life into chaos.
Twenty-something Patricia Delmarco recently finished her graduate degree with a focus on libraries as innovative spaces for equity. But, she doesn’t want to be a librarian. Her passion is writing fiction, however, a series of rejections on her completed manuscript has left her feeling uninspired and desperate to leave the city and her clingy boyfriend.
With Patricia filling the long-vacant role, Margot thinks she can befriend the younger woman. Margot finds herself being too honest during a coffee date that leads Patricia to dig into her colleague’s past.
The more Patricia learns about Margot, the stronger her desire to use her colleague as inspiration for a second manuscript. Each day at work, Patricia observes Margot’s interactions with patrons and handwrite’s her fictionalized account in a notebook kept on her desk. As Margot begins to spin out of control and unfortunate incidents happen at the library, Patricia’s writing becomes violent and even includes links to her own childhood.
Margot realizes Patricia is documenting her life and wants to put a stop to it. From there, the pair engage in a back-and-forth the novel covers by switching points of view each chapter.
Final Thoughts
Laura Sims is very talented at creating troubled women who resent their lots in life. “How Can I Help You” insidiously creeps up on you and makes you squirm. Margot and Patricia are both conflicted characters with selfish motivations who feed off each other.
“How Can I Help You” is a quick thought-provoking read for readers who enjoy character studies and a slow burn mystery with lingering questions.
Rating
My rating is 4.25 stars out of 5.
Book Details
Title: “How Can I Help You”
Author: Laura Sims
Year of Publication: 2023
Number of Pages: 237
