Look What You Made Me Do, Fathers Who Kill by Australian author Megan Norris is an incredibly moving, difficult and heart-wrenching non-fiction true crime story. Originally published in 2015, an updated version and reprint was released July 2023.
Trigger Warning: Graphic reports of physical violence and homicide may disturb readers. But, while telling these stories the author has shown admirable discretion and respect for victim’s and reader’s sensitivities to tell what needs to be told objectively and factually.
For over forty years in news, Megan Norris has personal experience with victims of horrific crimes during her time as a court reporter and crime writer. The author recounts the events of nine families who have been victims of domestic abuse and the murders of children at the hands of their fathers, all for revenge.
Each case starts from the beginning of the relationship through its entirety, incidents and events leading to the crime, court proceedings and the aftermath the victim suffers.
Norris has done a beautiful job of sharing the most horrifying and heartbreaking experiences that a person can have in this life. She treats this explosive subject with great empathy and compassion as she narrates the profound impact abuse has had on these women. The story is an important one, showing the true struggle that battered women fight every single day.
As a domestic violence survivor, this story really hit home for me. I found myself walking in the victims’ shoes. I felt their fear and frustrations, and I grieved over their loss. A ‘normal’ family can hide harsh realities within the home. Domestic abuse can lie hidden in plain sight, and it most often does. Women find themselves trapped in a vicious cycle and they normalize pain and agony.
This is not a story to read for pleasure. It is an educational read: a story that begged to be told and one that has the potential to save those who find themselves in abusive relationships. It also has the potential, if only the right people will read it and pay careful attention, to drive urgently needed reforms in the legal system; to educate police, lawyers, judges, and bureaucrats to understand domestic violence and to listen to and believe the victims and find effective and just ways to protect them from perpetrators.
Although victims never think they will make it, the ones that do become survivors, determined to help other victims live through their ordeal, and restore peace and hope where there had been none for so long. I am grateful and commend the women and families for their courage in sharing their personal stories.
Look What You Made Me Do, Fathers Who Kill will keep readers engaged and reading from the very first words all the way through the very last page. I applaud Megan Norris for sharing her insight with readers. I highly recommend it to those who like true crime.
If your life is in danger, contact emergency services on 000 immediately.
Lifeline —13 11 14 or chat online
Relationships Australia — 1300 364 277
A selection of our Beauty and Lace Club members are reading Look What You Made Me Do, Fathers Who Kill by Megan Norris. You can read their comments below, or add your own review.
My love of books started at a very young age. My mum has always been a reader and encouraged me to read, buying me endless book from classic fairy tales advancing to the world of Enid Blyton, CS Lewis, Louisa May Alcott, Kathryn Kenny, Carolyn Keene, Francine Pascal. In my adult years the list of authors is endless and every room in my house is filled with books.
One of my favourite novels is Narnia which has always has a special place in my heart. I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in 1978 and when I was given this book to read it let me escape to another world where I felt like I was in the book with all the characters, it wasfun and exciting to escape from reality and eased the ups and downs of the disease at such a young age.
In books nothing is impossible and there is endless potential and hundreds of places to explore or being taken to places that are only made up from the authors’ great minds, the past and future to navigate, characters lives you step into taking you on an emotional rollercoaster ride or being scared out of your wits. I can experience things that I can’t in real life because they’re not possible or real. It challenges my perspective and mindset expanding my worldview.
I find joy, comfort and peace with books, many people may not get it, but I know bookworms like me truly understand. Reading makes my heart happy.
One word – wow! Look What You Made Me Do (Fathers Who Kill) by Crime Writer Megan Norris is hard going emotionally. Her book explores the pure evil revenge that these fathers inflict on the childrens mothers during marital breakdowns. These senseless punishments are given to make these poor women suffer more than they are already suffering through the acts of Domestic Violence they have endured in the lead up to the deaths of their sweet innocent children. Each story of the families in this book gives the insight of the acts of Domestic Violence, the control and manipulation that took place for each of these brave women, the lack of intervention by police and other parties who through lack of training, protocol, lack of following up, lack of knowledge and inadequate supports that could have changed the outcomes.
I recognised a couple of the stories from what I have seen on the news and read in newspapers over the years with Hannah Clarke’s story the freshest in my mind. I cried as I read each of the 7 women’s stories and I cried for these poor children who will be forever young who should have been protected by their fathers not killed. My heart broke for them. Each woman (and they may not have felt like this at the time) in this book is a survivor – strong, brave and courageous.
I personally found it difficult to read each of these stories as I could relate from personal experience. No, I am not a woman who was harmed by her partner but I’m now an adult who very nearly met the same tragic ending (at the hands of my own father) as these innocent children.
When you find it gets too much emotionally and each story seems overwhelming (and sadly in some cases find it triggering) – take a break but I strongly urge you to keep reading. For me personally after years of therapy and now reading this book I have come to the powerful realisation (and finally believe and accept) that I’m no longer a victim – I am a survivor.
I believe that this book should be mandatory reading for members of the Police Force and for those in the helping professions.
Thanks to Beauty & Lace and Big Sky Publishing for my copy of Look What You Made Me Do (Father’ Who Kill).
What an eye opener to what happens behind closed doors ‘Look What You Made Me Do’ by Megan Norris was an emotional, personal and insightful into what fathers will do to get revenge on their ex-partners. Some stories I’ve heard of some I haven’t and to see what how these women tell their stories must of been difficult as the person they once loved turned into a monster and they’re talking about the good times. Tears were shed reading this book for the children and mothers who are not here and those who have gone through hell just by being alive.
LOOK WHAT YOU MADE ME DO – BY MEGAN NORRIS
BIG SKY PUBLISHING
This book opens up the raw reality of domestic violence and how it is seen amongst most outsiders in society as nothing to be too concerned about until it is too late. These fathers manipulate, cunning, brutal and so controlling that the victims can`t go on to lead a normal life let alone feel free, safe, and totally happy again.
The truth that is told was harrowing and broke my heart to pieces but it has to be told to spread the indescribable loss, injustice, sheer loneliness, and utter lack of support or help these women faced and still live through every single day because of these monsters that do the unthinkable.
I have read Rosie Batty`s story before and was something that will never leave my mind and I could not even begin to imagine the pain of losing a child, let alone in this way. This book was of other women’s truths and although it left me with a heavy feeling in the very pit of my stomach and heart, it opened my eyes to different but similar situations, it is about time this was not swept under the rug.
I want to first say a big thankyou to the women in this book that were brave enough to tell their true story and to Megan Norris for a respectfully written book as we need to go forward and change laws to protect women and these beautiful, innocent children.
Thanks to Beauty and Lace I was selected to read “Look what you made me do” by Megan Norris and Big Sky Publishing.
At first I was hesitant to read this book. I was almost second guessing myself for choosing it. Although I experience no abuse in my marriage, I am a mother and to think I was going to read about mothers losing their children, I wasn’t sure I could stomach it.
I gave it a chance though and was surprised at how well this book is written. It is written in such a tasteful way that the actual details of the incidents are no more than you hear on the news or read online etc. what I found interesting was the lead ups and aftermaths of these tragedies. It was so well written I was happy to continue.
It’s hard to stomach any tragedy let alone ones that include innocent children but I am glad I read this book as it gives you so much more insight into what gets missed in DV relationships and why people are now working so hard to get laws changed and have police trained better to be equipped to these situations. You never realise how evil some people truly can be until you read such a book at this.
Well written book, would highly recommend. Wont be for everyone to stomach as it can be very upsetting at times.
I’d heard about a few of the cases through the media that are in this book but some were new to me as well. Unfortunately there are way too many of these cases that exist. As you would expect, this book is confronting, raw and heartbreaking. This book covers topics that we need to be aware about so we can try make some difference in the future to prevent as many instances occurring.
The author writes about each story well and gives us a deep understanding but it makes you feel helpless reading it, knowing what is to come and wishing that someone could have prevented it. It must have been very difficult for those involved to tell you their stories. It gives you insight into their lives before, leading up and after to the unimaginable tragic incidents that shape the rest of their lives. It’s a book you have to consume slowly and take breaks after each chapter (story) to digest, but one that you should read if you can. It’s not an easy read but it’s an important one.
This is an amazing book but not for the faint hearted.
“Look What You Made Me Do” by Megan Norris is a harrowing exploration of fathers who commit unimaginable acts of violence by killing their own children as a means of revenge against their partners. (Seriously, who does this!) Norris, delves into a range of tragic cases, shedding light on the devastating impact of family violence on mothers and the scars that are left behind.
It explores the concepts that family violence turning deadly, affects not just women but also their children who are collateral damage in these aweful situations and highlighting the need for urgent legal reform, support and improved police training to assist (in this case) women in dangerous situateions before they become fatal ones.
“Look What You Made Me Do” is a powerful and emotionally challenging read that highlights the need to address domestic violence and improve support systems for victims, highly recommended but understand this is not a fairy tale but an insight into what happens behind closed doors and why we need to do more.
This was so hard to read hence the late review. In all honesty I couldn’t finish it and for that I’m sorry. The stories I did read are just horrific, and what’s worse is the lack of support from the law – the lack of knowledge around domestic violence and the lack of services. I just don’t understand how it gets to the point of murder and of children? I’m blown away.
I agree with a previous reviewer, that this book should be mandatory for police when entering the police force as it could show signs and trigger warnings for potential fatal events.
Again, sorry I couldn’t finish reading I will pass it on to friends though.