It Should Have Been You: A Novel
It Should Have Been You: A Novel
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Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death, emotional abuse, bullying, and suicidal ideation.
Social Context: The Impact of Digital Communication
By focusing on a conflict that ignites within a neighborhood WhatsApp group, It Should Have Been You explores the ubiquitous role that digital platforms play in modern community life, functioning as both a tool for connection and a stage for conflict. The novel reflects this reality when Susan notes the group’s “occasional open-the-popcorn dramas” before accidentally causing one herself (4). Through Susan’s experience, Andrea Mara illustrates how social media shapes behavior, amplifies moral judgment, and accelerates the consequences of error.
Susan, isolated and sleep-deprived while caring for her baby, relies heavily on digital communication to maintain social ties. When criticized publicly by Celeste for a perceived breach of WhatsApp etiquette, her impulsive WhatsApp message, fired off in anger, exemplifies what psychologist John Suler terms the “online disinhibition effect,” whereby individuals “self-disclose or act out more frequently or intensely than they would in person” (Suler, John. “The Online Disinhibition Effect.” Cyberpsychology & Behavior, vol. 7, no. 3, 2004, pp. 321-26). Her barbed attack on Celeste and her family, sent without checking the recipients, illustrates a level of impulsivity and hostility that might have been tempered by face-to-face interaction.
The instantaneous dissemination of Susan’s message, intended only for her sisters’ eyes, creates what Knöchel and Vahed describe as a “social environment at scale” (Knöchel, Tim-Dorian, and Sarah Vahed. “Digital Moral Distortion: How Social Media Can Negatively Shape Our Judgement of Right and Wrong.” The Inquisitive Mind, no. 63, 2025). Susan’s message is thrust into a public arena and critiqued by a wide audience. The Oakpark community responds with outrage, driven by a phenomenon that psychologists identify as “moral grandstanding” (Grubbs, Joshua B., et al. “Moral Grandstanding and Political Polarization: A Multi-Study Consideration.” Journal of Research in Personality, vol. 88, 2020): the use of public moral expression to gain social status.
Venetia’s misidentification of Savannah as Susan parallels real-world cases such as that of Sunil Tripathi, who was wrongly identified as a suspect in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings and subjected to global online scrutiny and harassment. Venetia’s decision to confront and ultimately attack the woman she believes to be Susan reflects the dangerous trajectory from online outrage to offline action. Mara thus exposes how social media can encourage individuals to act on unverified or distorted information.
The novel also explores the impact of social media on adolescents through the conflict between Nika and Maeve. Their interactions illustrate how digital platforms facilitate cyberbullying, intensify social hierarchies, and magnify emotional harm. Research has demonstrated that victims of online bullying are significantly more likely to experience suicidal ideation, highlighting the severe psychological consequences of such interactions (Sameer, Hinduja, and Justin W. Patchin. “Connecting Adolescent Suicide to the Severity of Bullying and Cyberbullying.” Journal of School Violence, vol. 18, no. 3, 2019, pp. 333-46).
Mara’s novel demonstrates how modern technology can transform a private feud into a public scandal that threatens careers, relationships, and lives. It Should Have Been You demonstrates that social media, while facilitating connection, simultaneously introduces new vulnerabilities by accelerating the spread of information, distorting moral judgment, and lowering the threshold for conflict.
Genre Context: Irish Domestic Noir and the Suburban Thriller
It Should Have Been You is an example of domestic noir, a subgenre of the thriller that situates its suspense within the seemingly safe confines of the home and family. Popularized by authors such as Gillian Flynn in Gone Girl and Paula Hawkins in The Girl on the Train, domestic noir explores the dark secrets and psychological turmoil lurking beneath the polished facade of everyday life. The genre often utilizes the seemingly tranquil settings of modern suburbia to explore underlying social anxieties, hidden domestic dysfunction, and latent violence.
Mara’s novel exemplifies the contrast between a placid suburban façade and the brutality concealed beneath. She employs this convention from the very first page, juxtaposing Susan’s horrific shocking confession, “I have to kill my sister” (1), with the mundane setting of a family kitchen. The surrounding normality sharpens the juxtaposition as neighbors gather nearby. This chilling act occurs while “neighbors [are] eating and drinking on the green, oblivious” (1), reinforcing the idea that violence coexists seamlessly with everyday life.
This dynamic is further articulated through Susan’s increasing awareness of the “false sense of security that comes with living in a big, built-up suburb with mostly nice neighbors and a very active Neighborhood Watch group” (72). Her viewpoint underscores domestic noir’s critique of middle-class complacency, exposing how systems designed to ensure safety can obscure rather than prevent violence. It Should Have Been You also illustrates domestic noir’s focus on violence within intimate relationships. Aimee is killed by her husband, Rory, who is, in turn, killed by his sister-in-law. This chain of intra-familial violence reinforces the genre’s message that the greatest threats often come from those closest to us. Trust, rather than providing stability, becomes a liability.
Mara’s novel fits within a 21st-century boom in Irish crime fiction, led by internationally acclaimed authors such as Tana French and Liz Nugent. The crime writer Val McDermid dubs this trend “emerald noir” and links it to Ireland’s recent socio-political history. Noting that crime fiction is a space “where social change is identified and mapped out” (O Donovan, Gerard. “Val McDermid: Why Irish Crime Fiction Is All the Rage.” The Telegraph, 8 Mar. 2011), McDermid argues that, while many Northern Irish crime writers are influenced by the aftermath of the Troubles, authors from the Republic of Ireland, such as Mara, are often inspired by the socio-economic upheavals associated with the Celtic Tiger. The Celtic Tiger refers to the period of rapid economic growth in Ireland from the mid-1990s to 2008. Characterized by rising property values and expanding suburban developments, this era of prosperity transformed Southern Ireland from a relatively agrarian economy into a modern, globalized one. However, the subsequent financial crash demonstrated the unsustainable nature of this development. The property bubble bust, unemployment soared, and the people of Southern Ireland experienced a severe economic crisis. Within this context, domestic noir becomes an especially apt form, echoing the collapse of Southern Ireland’s narrative of optimistic prosperity. Mara’s depiction of conflicts within suburban settings in It Should Have Been You emphasizes how easily the reassuring illusion of domestic security can be eroded.
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