Many thanks to my partners @bookclubgirl and @williammorrow for this #gifted copy.  

 

Enthralling.  Propulsive.  Thought provoking.  

 

When Cassie, a budding journalist, discovers the story of Lore, she knows right away that it is the kind of story on which careers are built.  Lore has lived a complex life rife with intrigue. Married to two men, one in Mexico and the other in Texas, she led a successful double life until one of the husbands was found dead and the other convicted of his murder.  Now decades later, Cassie knows this story might be her big break into the true crime industry.  

 

Told in alternating chapters between Cassie and Lore, this is an unputdownable genre-bending novel.

 

I love books that take a topic I think I have firm opinions on (in this case: polygamy and true crime) and create a story so immersive that I am forced to reexamine.  Add to that fully flawed, complex characters that I want to hate but can’t help but love, and I’m sold.  

 

I was drawn to Lore right away.  As a mother and wife, her struggles (to feel valued, to be seen as a partner, to be successful outside of the home, and to be acknowledged as both sexy and intelligent) were easily relatable.  Lore’s character deftly explores the roles of womanhood. 

 

And yet, as Lore sought out the truest part of herself, she became entangled in a web of deceit.  

Entanglements led to bad decisions and bad decisions to dire consequences.   

 

Cassie’s story didn’t hold my attention to the degree Lore’s did.  But it fully succeeded in showcasing the relationship between true crime and the propulsion to see it in the media.  The resolve to get a story.  The obsession with the macabre.  The “at all cost” determination for truth to be told.  

 

Guttierez’ writing was spellbinding.  She mastered the art of a slow burn character study that dripped in family drama.  Adept usage of Spanglish painted the culture with beautiful strokes, and both scenescapes were cinematically detailed.  Most noteworthy though, the storytelling brimmed with empathy.

 

This was a compelling and evocative read.  It’s hard to believe it is a debut! I can’t wait to see what Guttierrez does next.