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Set a decade before the #MeToo and anti-bully movements, and published just a few years before Girl With the Dragon Tattoo made damaged-women-books in vogue , Camille Praker, a 30ish year-old reporter, returns to her small town with all its prejudice, misogyny, toxic masculinity, and mean-girls politics. The broad theme of a small town with a dark underbelly reminded me of a Stephen King novel, but with much punchier writing. Flynn explores the stifling effects roles and labels have on people - gender roles, family roles, class roles - and how those roles hurt everyone, even those who would seem to benefit. The most overarching theme is misogyny, which seeps into every aspect of this small town. Even Camille has internalized it and all its other prejudices more than she'd like to admit, an unusual choice for a protagonists, who are usually more enlightened than other characters. The excellent writing kept me turning pages even with little action.

I only gave it 3 stars because the plot is poorly paced despite the book's short length. And although Camille's relationship with her mother is central to the novel, it still didn't feel flushed out enough, along with a few other relationships. The abrupt ending felt hasty and tacked on.