An audio book
Anna (22), with her sister Caroline (12), mother Clare and demented grandma Evelyn (whose symptoms are very variable) live in the American countryside. She grew up in Boston. Her dad left when Caroline was born. She works in the local Diner. 6 years ago, Lyla was murdered. 3 years ago Bonny was murdered. Another murder is due. The murderer was supposedly killed while burgling. But maybe the killer's still on the loose and is about to strike again.
The farmers are poor - there's a drought. Paster Keene is sexy. Todd is a young policeman. Sheriff Adams was the main policeman at the time of the murders. She meets Melissa, who could become a friend. She'd found Bonny's body. Her dad's a drunk farmer.
Anna repeatedly alludes to a past incident - "The Thing" - dropping clues. One night involving drugged drinks? A gang of men? Clare seems to flirt with the handyman. The old local doctor, never married, was once Evelyn's boyfriend and starts helping with Evelyn. Clare gives him a key to the house. Before they'd moved into the house it was empty and used for parties by youths, including Lila. Anna had been doing a journalism degree and starts to research for a competition entry about the murders. She talks to Jamie, Lila's boyfriend and once a suspect. She visits Bonny's parents. She'd been moody when she died - why? Returning to Jamie's room he finds him dead - an overdose? Murder?
She wonders whether her grandma (who thinks "a girl died here") is in touch with spirits. She angrily accuses her mother of being desperate for sex (she brings home the handyman for the night on their first date). She's suspicious of all men. She interviews Victoria, a dental clinic colleague of Bonnie - did Bonnie have a secret lover? Caroline will be going to a party. Anna's nervous about it - the police and the doctor know about "The Thing", and maybe there's a video online of it. Will others find out? Will Caroline be thought a slut because her sister is?
Evelyn thinks she's seen Anna die more than once - a premonition? Is she confusing Anna with the dead girls? Anna thinks she's going to be killed on the anniversary of the murders in a day's time unless she solves the case. She works things out. Returning home she finds Caroline unconscious with the doctor. He has a gun. Melissa and the sheriff arrive. They were all involved with the murders or cover-up. Melissa wants to ritually kill Caroline to end the drought. Anna offers to take her place. Then Todd and back-up arrive. Afterwards, Anna recalls more about "The Thing" so that inquiries re-open. Todd and Anna go out together. Anna starts a local paper.
Both Anna and her grandma have memory issues. For me, detail about The Thing is leaked too slowly. Anna's trying to start a new life in a small town. Small, isolated towns can represent society as a whole. She wants eventually to re-integrate, and this case helps her do so. Her suspicion of all men encourages the reader to build a long list of murder suspects. Initially fearing communication/disclosure, she ends up starting a newspaper.
Other reviews
- Langan (As the narrative unfolds, Anna and Evelyn begin to build a new relationship with each other, one based in their mutual amnesias. Pinborough deftly portrays their attempts at communication, shot through with anxiety and resentment over their current conditions and past injuries to one another. ... The novel’s climax surprises in a number of ways, casting everything that has come before in a new light, and causing the narrative to expand in unanticipated ways. It’s a fine conclusion to this fine narrative, one whose blend of the familial and the strange recalls the best work of Graham Joyce)
- megsbookrack (There are some great aspects to this book. I enjoyed the overriding mystery and the small town setting quite a bit. Sadly, there were also things I didn’t like as much however, including Anna’s attitude. I did think she showed growth over the course of the story, but the 1st-half with her was pretty brutal. I don’t need to like characters, but I just found her personality so grating. It was almost unpleasant. She was super negative and bit disrespectful to everyone around her, including her family, which tends to rub me the wrong way.)
- bibliosanctum (a story that reads like a big commercial thriller, complete with all the familiar clichés and twists you’d expect. Honestly, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, though eventually, it did make the plot a little too predictable. Towards the end, I had the urge to yell at Anna, How on earth are you not seeing any of this!? and wondering how a protagonist could be so blindsided by something that seemed so glaringly obvious. Some of the plot developments also felt very much like checking items off a list ... Anna herself was a bit frustrating, and not just because she’s clueless. We’re reminded frequently that something terrible happened to her back when she was in the city, and it’s clearly a huge part of why she behaves the way she does, but the details are kept so tightly hidden for so long that I had trouble connecting with her emotionally.)
