Plain Bad Heroines: A Novel

I received an ARC of this novel from a Goodreads Giveaway hosted by William Morrow. All opinions are my own. Plain Bad Heroines is Emily M. Danforth’s adult debut. I had not heard of this book before finding it listed for a Goodreads giveaway. The description sounded right up my alley, so I decided to try my luck at entering for an ARC. I was so shocked when I won, but it was really exciting, especially since it would only be my second time winning a physical ARC. When I say this book had hooked me right from the start, I mean it. This book is pitched as gothic horror comedy like The Haunting of Hill House meets The Favourite. This was enough to have my attention, but the premise itself takes that a step further. The story weaves from 1902 to over a century later to focus on a cast of characters who are all connected to the seemingly cursed Brookhants School for Girls. In 1902, the school is run by Libbie Brookhants. Two students, Flo and Clara, attend this school when they become infatuated with Mary MacLane’s writing and each other before their tragic deaths, leaving Libbie to deal with the aftermath and the school’s eventual closing. The novel explores Libbie’s own backstory and relationship with her partner Alex as well. Over a century later, Merritt Emmons writes a novel titled The Happening at Brookhants, which is then set to be adapted into a film. Actors Harper Harper and Audrey Wells are cast as Flo and Clara, which finally sets up the multiple timelines the…

I really enjoyed this book. The narration style was interesting, I liked the variety of characters, and most of all the foreshadowing and flipping between the two time periods. Although some parts are a bit cliche, the book definitely redeems itself through the narration leaning into it!

If this book were the SAME book yet featured solely straight characters, it would be rated five stars, across the board. Plain Bad Heroines, however, is not this book, which is kinda the POINT of its, yes, let it be said, Readers, clearly celesbian author. I have rarely read a novel of such quality - the story, the character development, the pacing. And these elements don't even address the most incredible aspect, the way in which the author uses words. Similar to a Renoir or Spielberg or Mozart (choose your favorite art form!), every sentence is crafted not just perfectly, but in a manner that allows full-scale immersion into the world being depicted. While the author wouldn't necessarily hug me for this, the (same) book is about to be read by my spouse and our daughter. And then by anyone else who decides to ask what I've loved lately. Settle in somewhere comfortable and dive in. This is truly one of the best.

I read this book avidly because it had a lot going for it, but at the same time I wasn’t enjoying it as much as I wanted to be. This mature reader prefers more mature writing. I strongly suggest that the author study works by the great Connie Willis, specifically The Doomsday Book and her WW2 two-book series, to strengthen her fantasy chops. An issue for me with YA writers who migrate to writing for adults is that they never quite seem to give up typical YA contrivances such as the devoted BFF/sidekick or the tragic parental loss. So After-school Special. Most problematic, I cared far more about the 1902 characters than the contemporary trio, whose sections I rushed through to get back to Libby and Alex. The author failed to make Harper, Audrey or Merritt, or their antics, sexual or otherwise, truly worthy of reader love. Bo was a cartoon, when he could have been a wonderful sendup of male auteur cruelty and arrogance. Finally, as Chekhov is famous for having said (more or less), “don’t introduce a gun if it’s not going to be fired.” Danforth brings up all manner of concerns without ever addressing them again. Did Harper’s mother go off the wagon? Did Merritt’s dad kill himself because of his open marriage? What made Eleanor eat the plant? What about Ava? So many loose ends.

This is a long book and sometimes feels it, but it's worth hanging on for the ride. There are several stories in different time periods, and they all add to the overall atmosphere. There's something haunting/cursing everything to do with the central schoolhouse and its environs, even to the movie being filmed there to tell the story. What that is and why slowly emerges. In the meantime a number of seemingly normal objects reflect the curse, becoming more sinister as time goes by, from apples ,to a mysterious book, to innocuous plants and insects. I sort of wish I had existing phobias about these things as the creepiness intended sometimes seemed banal to me. Still if you're at all spheksophobic this will no doubt get to you even more. A quirk worth noting is the rampant sapphism: most of the characters, past and present, are women, and it seems they are all mosly attracted to other women. It's not a problem, just a quirk as I said. This is a highly-engrossing read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, even tracking down some of the secondary material quoted in the novel.