Pretty Ugly Lies by Pamela Crane Book Review

 

This was my last read for 2020. Not my picture. I received a gifted copy and am providing a review. 

The definition of noir: “A genre of crime film or fiction characterized by cynicism, fatalism, and moral ambiguity.” If you like this sort of book, this one will definitely keep you turning pages.

Jo is married to Jay; children, Preston, Abby, Amelia. Jo has also held onto a 10-year-old secret. Something happens to make her fess up to Jay after all this time.

Jo and Shayla are best friends.

Shayla is married to Trent; children, Arion and Tenica. Shayla suffers from bipolar disorder so her actions are sometimes hard for her to explain. She also finds out a secret her sister has been holding onto for a very long time. She also has a secret that she finally fesses up to Trent. 

June is married to Mike; children, Austin (who is autistic), Arabelle, Kiki, and Julie. Mike is a deadbeat, but June loves him … even with all his flaws. Something tragic happens to their family. 

June and Ellie are friends. 

Ellie is married to Denny; children, Darla and Logan. Ellie has some deep-seated emotional issues. Something tragic also happens to their family. 

Oleandar Way is where you find perfect houses and perfect relationships … that is until you open the front door of each home. Once you do that, you will find some incredibly mixed-up families inside, so much so that their lives are full of deceit and lies. Each of these family’s lives are intertwined in one way or another, they just don’t know it yet. 

This is the kind of book that I can devour in a day if given the opportunity. I am most interested in the psychology behind the thinking. I think Ms. Crane does an excellent job of “getting into” women’s heads, hearing their innermost thoughts. 

This book is the very definition of noir. It is very dark. I highly recommend this book if you have a strong constitution and take it for what it is … a book. Sadly, as Ms. Crane points out in her acknowledgements, some women (and probably men, too) feel this way from time to time. I think this book will hit home for quite a few people. I applaud Ms. Crane for putting this kind of book out in the world, to hopefully let those women struggling emotionally know that they are heard, that they are valued.