All Her Fault

All Her Fault is a typical example of a domestic psychological mystery thriller. As a domestic novel, the narrative focuses on the experiences of a single family or group of families and their internal dynamics. In the work, the novel focuses on the Irvine and Kennedy families, with some reference to the family dynamics of the Murphys and Turners. 

All Her Fault is a psychological thriller, meaning it focuses on the emotions and thoughts of the point-of-view characters. There is only a limited amount of violence in the work. Instead, the tension derives from shifting perspectives, which creates dramatic irony as some characters are aware of information others are not, while the reader has a more complete view. Further, the insight into the characters’ psychological state creates pathos, or emotional appeals that invite readers to connect or sympathize with the character. For instance, when Marissa Irvine feels desperation and sadness at the disappearance of her son, her feelings are described in detail in a narrative attempt to heighten the emotional impact of the event.

Finally, All Her Fault is a mystery thriller. Somewhat unusually for the genre, it is broadly divided into two parts: thriller and mystery. Part 1 is more of a thriller as the police, Marissa, and the rest of the community search for Milo. The fast pacing is emphasized in the chapter titles that note the number of days since Milo was kidnapped. The longer Milo goes missing, the higher the tension. From Part 2 onwards, after Milo has been found, the novel is more of a mystery focused on the investigation into who took Milo and why. As is typical of a mystery novel, the work ends with the revelation that solves the mystery.