2015 Reading: Dexter is Dead

I did not know this book existed! I thought that Dexter's Final Cut would be the last one! I was so excited when I saw this, I immediately checked it out and put it before all of the other books I had originally lined up to read next.

Ugh, I forgot how much I love Dexter's sassy inner monologue. There are some things that I know I've forgotten about the book series since it's been a while since I read the last one, but I got the hang of it eventually. I sometimes wish that the TV show had taken the same route as the books because, in some ways, I think that would have been a far more interesting track. I would love to see how the characters developed on the screen as they did in the book: Doakes with no arms or legs, LaGuerta dead WAY sooner, Brain surviving and being a part of Dexter's life, the kids becoming tiny serial killers... It would have been interesting, to say the least.

And now I'm sad. I knew that this was going to be the last book and, I mean, come on, the title says it all "DEXTER IS DEAD" but part of me still didn't want to believe that was the way it was going to happen. I don't want him to be dead. I mean, he and Brian finally got to hang out a little more and bond and kill people together and their Dark Passengers finally met and it was beautiful and I had the biggest smile on my face and IT'S NOT FAIR!!!!

I need him to come back.

One thing that I think I said about Dexter in my (ill-fated) vlog, or maybe I just thought about it in my head and never said it out loud, was that book!Dexter is a true psychopath. It was very obvious by the way he was very willing to give up his kids to Deb without really a second thought and all he was concerned about was his survival. Now, show!Dexter was merely a man-made (re: Harry-made) sociopath who was raised in a very unhealthy way. Show!Dexter had feelings! He cared about people other than himself and therefore was not beyond help. HARRY was the one who thought so and led him to the life of killing successfully. A little bit of therapy (which he should have had anyway considering the way in which he was found after his mother's death) and he would have been a high functioning member of society. Harry repeatedly told Dexter that he was a sociopath until he finally believed it to be true, but he wasn't. Show!Dexter cared about his family, his kids, his sister. He loved Rita and eventually Hannah... He experienced fear, pride, sorrow. All things that psychopaths and even sociopaths do not experience.

Book!Dexter was a killer by nature. Show!Dexter was a killer by nurture.