Plain Bad Heroines

Reviewed on 1st June 2022

I don’t really remember how this ended up on my wish list - possibly just as a result of aggressive advertising on social media. But when I found a copy in a small independent bookshop it leapt out at me, quite possibly aided by the bright yellow and pink colour scheme and the chunky size.

I was not sure what I was getting into, and even after reading I’m not sure how to classify this novel. It is horror, though fairly tame, but it’s also a romance,or multiple romances, as well as a comedy. There’s a lot in here and the genre seems to twist and turn with the plot.

I found it hard going to begin with. Interestingly I found the parts set in 1902 harder to read than the parts set in the present day, but I couldn’t put my finger on what clever stylistic trick the author was pulling to achieve this subtle difference in tone.

But once I hit the halfway point the pages wouldn’t stop turning. It did help a little that I was unexpectedly stuck on a train for three hours with nothing else to do but get stuck in.

It’s an incredibly complex book, with layer upon layer to uncover, and I’m still not sure having finished it that there wasn’t another layer that I entirely missed. I loved that it’s a book entirely about women, and such a range of them, and especially a book celebrating queer women and their diversity.

I still don’t really know why I read this book, but I’m glad that I did, even though it took me three weeks to get through. I’m intrigued to find out what the author might publish next, and whether I will be similarly entertained.