Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth

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I have been on a creepy book kick lately and I’ve been lucky to have read a string of excellent books. Plain Bad Heroines kicks it up even further by being a creepy book about a book. Actually, it’s a book about a movie being made that is based on a book all about an obsession with another book. 

I swear. 

So, in the early 1900’s, at the Brookhant’s School for Girls, two girls became obsessed with a memoir written by Mary MacLane. Their obsession led to not only their own tragic and horrific deaths, but the deaths of three more people tied to the school. A century later, the abandoned school is now the center of a novel written by the brilliant and precocious author, Merrit Emmons, who was only 16 at the time. Her novel about the young women obsessed with not only each other, but the writings of Mary MacLane, is going to be adapted into a gothic horror film. As production begins on the movie, tensions between Merrit and the two young movie stars rise and mysterious events put everyone in danger. 

This book is a chunker - the hardcover edition clocks in at 617 pages and there is a lot of story to be found in those pages. I’m not exaggerating on the book about a movie about a book about a book. A lot of story. The book is constantly changing. In one chapter, you will be reading about the brutal murder of a young woman decades in the past, and in the next, read about a romantic and chaotic first date between two enigmatic young women in the present. There are so many elements of a classic gothic horror. There’s the dark and dilapidated boarding school where young women are sent to become ladies, but really discover that women are great at kissing. There are tragic and mysterious deaths that could be explained away as male violence, or, a curse. Layered on top of our gothic horror story is a coming of age novel about a young actress who needs to break away from her mother and make her own way in Hollywood. But how do you keep your wits about you when it seems that a curse is following you, you’re possibly in love with your co-star, and you know that writer thinks you’re unqualified? Like I said, there’s a lot of story.

I absolutely loved the writing style in this book. It read like you were listening to one of your best friends tell their famous local legend, while sitting by a fire and enjoying a boozy cocktail. It’s very conversational and snarky, with such compelling and campy writing that you are instantly swept up in the soap opera feel of what is really, a quite tragic story. The book is it full of black and white illustrations of our young, plain, bad heroines in all their tragic glory and has some of the best footnotes ever included in a book. Many provide historical context, many are just the narrator being sarcastic and hilarious and I’m pretty sure I sent screenshots of at least 10 pages to my boss within the first 20 pages of reading the book.

The characters are very well developed and incredibly interesting. Merrit is very prickly and slightly obnoxious while Harper Harper, yes that’s her name, is a glamorous and gorgeous chameleon of a character. To me, Harper was the hardest to figure out. Was she just an excellent actress and we never saw the real woman within? Was she just such a quick thinker that she could turn the acting on and off? She’s a puzzle. Meanwhile, Audrey is in a little bit over her head but really wants to make it as an actress and is far stronger than she believes. All three women are smart, interesting, and driven. They’re also all gorgeous, queer, and know that there is something going on at Brookhants. 

This book checked off a lot of my reader wheelhouse boxes-there’s a creepy school full of rich girls and their rich girl problems. It’s fast paced and the multiple timelines slowly reveal all the deliciously creepy scariness that follows everyone involved with Mary MacLane’s book. The characters are interesting and compelling and I was quickly invested in everyone’s survival. This book is also incredibly fun. It never takes itself too seriously, is very campy, and was an absolute delight to get lost in. I highly, highly recommend this for anyone who loves gothic horror, star crossed lovers, and a ton of snark. 

If you would like a copy for yourself, or to buy as a gift for your favorite book lover, you can find ordering information here: 

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