The Broken Girls by Simone St. James
This was one of my Book of the Month selections. You know I love a good ghost story, so I immediately devoured this book.
Coming from the same author as The Sundown Motel I had high hopes for the creepiness factor. This book, however, didn’t deliver as well on that point. But, I still enjoyed it.
Twenty years ago, Fiona’s sister was found dead on the grounds of an abandoned girl’s school. And now that land has been sold to a developer. However, as the land is being developed, a secret that was literally buried is uncovered.
Now, Fiona works to both solve a seventy year old murder and reconcile her sister’s death. Along the way she’ll meet an unlikely sisterhood and grapple with tragedy.
This book was haunting in a lot of ways. Yes, there is a ghost that inhabits the old school building. And there are the memories that shadow each of the characters. But the story speaks to something deeper within in all of us. One of the themes that really spoke to me was the ability of women to carry on despite enduring horrific tragedy. It’s something I find in a lot of literature aimed at a female audience. Its one of those parts of being a woman in today’s society (and, indeed, much of history), a part that doesn’t get talked about in “mixed” company. While being portrayed in the media as overly emotional and weak, women frequently experience horrific violence, unspeakable tragedy, and just carry on with their lives. Because the laundry still needs to get done and the kids still need to be fed. There’s something both empowering and sad in that.
I rate this book 4/5 stars. While the scare factor didn’t rise to the level I was expecting, overall the book was incredibly powerful and hauntingly beautiful. I’ve already preordered St. James’s new book which comes out next spring. So, I definitely recommend this book.
