In her debut novel, Pretty Dead Things, Lilian West weaves an intricate tale spanning seven decades in the fictional Midwest town of Hickory Falls. The narrative alternates between 2024 and the 1950s, connecting two women whose lives become inexplicably intertwined through a simple jar of trinkets purchased at an estate sale.
Plot Overview
When Cora, a California transplant adjusting to small-town life, discovers two wedding rings at the bottom of a jar of baubles purchased at an estate sale, she unwittingly steps into a decades-old mystery. Her innocent attempt to return the rings to their rightful owner leads her down a rabbit hole of family secrets, forbidden love, and ultimately, murder.
The parallel narrative follows Clarity Grey in the 1950s, a free-spirited artist whose love affair with a married man scandalizes the conservative town. After marrying Lewis Shaw following his divorce, Clarity builds a life with him and their daughter Hazel, only to vanish without a trace in 1960, leaving behind a garden of questions that would take decades to bloom into answers.
Strengths
Character Development
West excels at crafting complex female characters who defy easy categorization. Clarity Grey emerges as more than just a “homewrecker”—she’s an artist, a loving mother, and a woman ahead of her time. Similarly, Cora’s evolution from an outsider to an amateur detective feels organic and believable.
Atmospheric Setting
The author masterfully captures the suffocating nature of small-town life, where secrets simmer beneath perfectly manicured lawns and polite smiles. The contrast between modern-day Hickory Falls and its 1950s incarnation provides a fascinating study of how some things change while others remain stubbornly the same.
Plot Construction
The dual timeline structure works effectively, with each revelation in the present adding depth to the historical narrative. The final twist, while perhaps not entirely unexpected for seasoned mystery readers, is well-executed and emotionally resonant.
Areas for Improvement
Pacing Issues
The novel’s middle section tends to drag, with redundant scenes of Cora visiting various family members that could have been condensed. The momentum picks up significantly in the final third, but some readers might not make it that far.
Character Overload
The large cast of supporting characters, particularly in the modern timeline, can be overwhelming. Several characters, including Cora’s fiancé Elliott and his mother Lydia, feel underdeveloped despite their significance to the plot.
Dialogue
While most conversations flow naturally, there are instances where the dialogue feels stilted, particularly in the historical sections where characters sometimes speak in ways that feel anachronistic for the 1950s.
Writing Style
West’s prose is straightforward and accessible, occasionally rising to moments of lyrical beauty, particularly in descriptions of the Midwest landscape and weather. However, there’s a tendency toward repetition that could have been addressed through tighter editing.
Notable passage: “Sometimes, a person just needs a thunderstorm. […] She had learned to embrace these Midwest storms for what they were—opportunities to isolate oneself without excuse or explanation.”
Thematic Depth
The novel explores several compelling themes:
- The weight of family secrets across generations
- The complex nature of mother-daughter relationships
- Small-town dynamics and their impact on individual lives
- The role of memory and perspective in shaping narratives
- The price of unconventional choices in conservative societies
Critical Analysis
While Pretty Dead Things succeeds as an engaging mystery, its real strength lies in its exploration of how communities remember and rewrite their own histories. The author demonstrates how a single event can ripple through decades, affecting not just those directly involved but subsequent generations.
However, the novel occasionally falls into predictable patterns common to the small-town mystery genre. The “outsider uncovering local secrets” trope, while competently handled, offers few innovations to the formula.
Target Audience
This book will appeal to readers who enjoy:
- Small-town mysteries with historical elements
- Dual timeline narratives
- Character-driven suspense
- Stories about family secrets and their consequences
- Books by authors like Diane Chamberlain and Kate Morton
Final Verdict
Pretty Dead Things is a promising debut that demonstrates West’s potential as a storyteller. Despite some structural issues and occasional pacing problems, the novel succeeds in creating an atmospheric mystery that keeps readers invested until the final revelation. While it may not break new ground in the genre, it offers enough unique elements and emotional depth to make it worth reading.
The book’s greatest achievement is its nuanced portrayal of how the past continues to influence the present, and how even the most buried secrets eventually find their way to the surface. Though not perfect, it’s a solid foundation for what we hope will be a continuing career in fiction writing.
Recommendation
Recommended for fans of domestic suspense and historical mysteries who don’t mind a slower-paced narrative in exchange for rich character development and atmospheric storytelling. Readers seeking fast-paced thrillers might want to look elsewhere.
