Magpie Murders

“I began to read the book as you are about to. But before you do that, I have to warn you. This book changed my life.” 

This passage directly addresses the reader and warns of the dangers that may be present when it comes to reading the following pages. In doing so, the narrator breaks the fourth wall, emphasizing the ways in which parts of the book function as a text within a text.

“When he thought about her and looked at what he had just written, a single word came to mind. Busybody. It wasn’t fair and it certainly wasn’t something he would ever have spoken out loud, but he had to admit there was some truth to it.”

Although Robin Osborne tries to make his sermon pious and impartial, he can’t help but feel dislike for the woman who has just died—Mary Blakiston. This passage highlights the hypocrisy between words and feelings, especially when it comes to the recent deaths.

“‘That’s the thing about funerals. They’re completely hypocritical. Everyone says how wonderful the deceased was, how kind, how generous when, deep down, they know it’s not true.’” 

Henrietta Osborne expresses her distaste for the hypocrisy of funerals, explaining that most people say things they know they aren’t true. Even when they’re not outright lying, people refuse to be honest with one another and express their true feelings about the deceased.