Lo Patrick’s third novel, Fast Boys and Pretty Girls, delivers a mesmerizing exploration of how past traumas can shape our present lives, wrapped in the atmospheric setting of small-town Georgia. Following her acclaimed works The Floating Girls and The Night the River Wept, Patrick once again demonstrates her mastery of Southern Gothic storytelling, though this latest offering presents both compelling strengths and notable weaknesses that place it firmly in the realm of ambitious but imperfect literature.
A Story That Unfolds Like Memory Itself
The narrative follows Danielle Greer, a former teen model who has returned to her childhood home in Pressville, Georgia, where she now lives with her husband Jasper and four daughters. When her children discover human remains in the ravine behind their house, Danielle is thrust back into memories of her tumultuous past, particularly her intense relationship with Benji Law, a troubled local teenager who died in a motorcycle accident fifteen years earlier. The discovery sets in motion an investigation led by Detective Cady Benson that will unearth secrets far more devastating than anyone anticipated.
Patrick’s storytelling technique mirrors the way memory actually works—fragmented, non-linear, and emotionally charged. The novel shifts between 2004 and 2019, gradually revealing the events that led to the tragic accident on Bell Road. This structure serves the story well, allowing readers to piece together the truth alongside Danielle’s own fractured recollections. The pacing builds tension effectively, though some readers may find the deliberate slow burn occasionally frustrating.
Complex Characters Caught in Moral Ambiguity
Danielle emerges as a deeply complex protagonist whose journey from naive seventeen-year-old to disillusioned adult resonates with authentic emotional weight. Patrick captures the particular vulnerability of a young woman thrust into the modeling world, where she becomes both predator and prey in relationships with older men and industry manipulators. Her obsession with Benji Law—a relationship built on unequal power dynamics and mutual manipulation—reveals the darker aspects of first love that many coming-of-age stories gloss over.
The supporting characters feel equally real and flawed. Benji Law himself is portrayed not as a romantic ideal but as a troubled teenager whose own limitations and circumstances make him both sympathetic and frustrating. Deb Greer, Danielle’s mother, represents the fierce protectiveness that can transform into something monstrous when pushed to its limits. Even Cady Benson, the investigating detective, carries her own baggage from her past encounters with Danielle in New York.
However, some secondary characters feel underdeveloped. Jasper, Danielle’s husband, remains somewhat two-dimensional despite his importance to the story. The four daughters, while individually sketched, sometimes blur together in ways that feel more like authorial convenience than realistic characterization.
Atmospheric Setting as Character
Patrick’s depiction of Pressville, Georgia, stands as one of the novel’s greatest strengths. The small town emerges as a character in its own right, with its winding mountain roads, economic struggles, and suffocating social hierarchies. Bell Road itself becomes a metaphor for the dangerous curves life can take when we’re not paying attention. The contrast between the claustrophobic small-town atmosphere and the equally destructive glitter of New York’s modeling world creates a compelling backdrop for Danielle’s psychological journey.
The author’s descriptions of the modeling industry ring particularly true, capturing both its seductive appeal and its inherent exploitation. The scenes with Claudia, Danielle’s agent, perfectly illustrate how the industry commodifies young women while convincing them they’re special. Patrick’s insider knowledge of this world—whether through research or experience—shines through in these passages.
Themes That Cut Deep
The novel’s exploration of first love goes far beyond typical romantic narratives. Patrick examines how intense early relationships can arrest emotional development, leaving people stuck in patterns established in adolescence. Danielle’s inability to fully mature past her relationship with Benji reflects a broader commentary on how trauma can freeze us in time.
The theme of maternal love and its potential for destruction runs throughout the story. Deb Greer’s actions stem from fierce protectiveness, yet they ultimately cause more harm than the threats she was trying to eliminate. This complex portrayal of motherhood avoids easy moral judgments while acknowledging the real damage that can result from even well-intentioned actions.
Class dynamics permeate the narrative, from the tensions between the Greer family’s faded respectability and the Law family’s raw poverty to the hierarchies within the modeling industry. Patrick handles these themes with nuance, showing how economic circumstances shape choices without excusing harmful behavior.
Where the Novel Stumbles
Despite its many strengths, Fast Boys and Pretty Girls suffers from several significant flaws. The revelation of what actually happened to Louisa Radcliffe, while shocking, feels somewhat rushed after the careful buildup. The final act struggles to balance the multiple threads Patrick has woven throughout the story, leaving some plot elements feeling underdeveloped.
The novel’s treatment of certain characters occasionally veers into caricature. Heather Clack, Danielle’s coworker in Atlanta, exists primarily to provide exposition and comic relief rather than functioning as a fully realized person. Similarly, some of the modeling industry figures feel like familiar types rather than unique individuals.
Patrick’s prose, while generally strong, sometimes becomes overwrought in its attempts to capture Southern Gothic atmosphere. Certain passages feel self-consciously literary in ways that can distance readers from the emotional core of the story.
A Meditation on Consequences
Perhaps the most powerful aspect of Fast Boys and Pretty Girls is its unflinching examination of how our actions ripple outward in ways we can never fully anticipate. Danielle’s teenage selfishness and inability to let go of her obsession with Benji sets in motion a chain of events that ultimately destroys multiple lives. The novel doesn’t offer easy forgiveness or redemption, instead presenting the harder truth that some mistakes can never be fully undone.
The book’s final sections, dealing with the aftermath of the revelations about Louisa’s death and Deb’s role in the tragedy, ring with authentic emotional weight. Patrick resists the temptation to provide neat resolutions, instead showing how families must learn to live with difficult truths about the people they love.
Verdict: A Flawed but Compelling Southern Gothic
Fast Boys and Pretty Girls succeeds as both a mystery and a character study, offering insights into the psychology of obsession and the long-term consequences of teenage choices. While it doesn’t quite reach the heights of Patrick’s previous works, it remains a compelling read that will particularly resonate with readers who appreciate complex, morally ambiguous characters and atmospheric Southern settings.
The novel’s exploration of first love’s destructive potential sets it apart from typical coming-of-age stories, offering a more mature and unsettling perspective on formative relationships. Despite its flaws, Patrick has crafted a story that lingers in the mind long after the final page.
Similar Books You Might Enjoy
If Fast Boys and Pretty Girls resonated with you, consider these similar titles:
- The Secret History by Donna Tartt – Another exploration of how past secrets shape present lives
- Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn – A darker take on returning home and confronting family secrets
- Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty – Complex female characters dealing with the consequences of past actions
- The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver – Family dynamics under extreme pressure
- Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens – Southern Gothic atmosphere with mystery elements
Lo Patrick has once again proven her ability to craft psychologically complex narratives that explore the darker corners of human nature. While Fast Boys and Pretty Girls may not be perfect, it offers enough emotional depth and atmospheric richness to satisfy readers seeking literary fiction with mystery elements.
