I have to admit, I found this an unusual read. A crime novel - yes. A study of adolescence - also yes. An examination of small town politics, environmentalism and radicalism - also yes.
So Much Pretty, to me, was the story of Alice Piper. In Haeden, New York State, local girl Wendy goes missing and isn't found for months. When she is found, it's clear she's been dead for a matter of hours and, horrifyingly, has been kept alive for unspecified purposes.
Cara Hoffman, in her debut novel, skilfully manages the unraveling of Wendy's story with that of local precocious teen Alice Piper. Whilst Wendy is a small town everygirl, Alice is a proto-genius in training, with an intensely close relationship with fellow local outsider Theo. Alice's parents moved from Manhattan to Haeden many years prior to Wendy's disappearance: it is testament to Hoffman's skill that she cleverly manages the many threads and perspectives on the story of Wendy's disappearance.
As the novel progresses the character of Alice becomes clearer and clearer to the reader, as do those of her idealistic parents. We see through the layers of Haeden society to penetrate to the dark core of this seemingly idyllic small town.
It may be that this unusual novel of a disrupted New England community seems even more pertinent in the light of Sandy Hook - and if you've read it you'll notice a sad connection between the two stories, one fictional, one all too real. It's certainly the case that this unusual crime novel will stay with you long after you've read it.
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