Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth

“That version, as with so many of the stories we tell about our history, erased a woman- a plain, bad heroine- in favor of a less messy and more palatable yarn about two feuding brothers from New England.” ― Emily M. Danforth, Plain Bad Heroines

Plain Bad Heroines is a book with two settings; the story begins in 1902 Rhode Island, at Brookhants School for Girls. The girls at the school become infatuated with each other, and obsessed with a memoir by teen author, Mary MacLane. They start a society that worships the book and, eventually, die tragically with the book in their company. Libbie Brookhants and her long time girlfriend, Alexandra Trills are trying to unravel the mystery before they themselves become unraveled.

The second setting is in modern day Hollywood, where actresses Harper Harper and Audrey Wells have been cast to play leading roles in an upcoming horror movie titled: Happenings at Brookhants, based on the novel written by teen writer Merritt Emmons who will be consulting on production. Harper, Audrey, and Merritt will become the next witnesses to the curse at Brookhants. 

I absolutely expected this story to be scarier than it was; after all, it was nominated for several "Best Horror Novel..." awards and I found it lurking in the horror section of Barnes & Noble. I would actually classify it as satire of a horror novel. The author's tone was too sarcastic for me to take it seriously as a horror, and any tension that might have been created by the tragic circumstances surrounding our characters was frequently soften by the narrator's need to address the readers directly.

The book is heavy with feminist and LGBTQ ideology. In 1902 the girls of Brookhants are from affluent families; they're expected to be fine, educated ladies. They're supposed to attend their classes, learn their etiquette, eventually marry rich or otherwise successful husbands, and bury any notion of doing anything else. Our leading ladies, Libbie and Alex have been devoted to each other since they were young enough to be students at Brookhants, themselves. But they've always had to hide their relationship from the public eye, being viewed as nothing more than close friends (who just happen to live together). The girls in this story, like their teachers, have other ideas; they want to rebel against society's rigid expectations, they want to be the heroines of their own stories, and find love and companionship with each other.

In modern day Hollywood, the It Girl Harper Harper is an un-closeted lesbian who oozes sexuality that attracts everyone. Audrey Wells, is a B-rated bisexual actress, hungry for success, who is trying to step out from the shadow cast over her career by a more-famous-than-her mother. Merritt Emmons, the writer of the book that binds the three together, is a persnickety and facetious, who neither hides her sexual orientation nor broadcasts it. Why would she have to? Unlike the cast of 1902, these girls are living in a world where they don't have to hide who they are; it can be recorded by paparazzi and broadcast for the public to consume, shame free.

Harper, Audrey, and Merritt find themselves with plenty of time to get to know each other when they are invited out to film at the Brookhants School for Girls. As production gets underway, it gets delayed again and again, as unusual occurrences begin to take their toll on the production staff and our heroines. I feel like the characters are fully fleshed out; Harper was a plain kid from the country who grabbed an opportunity and rode it to the top. Audrey, is sympathetic; a career actress she's struggling to stay relevant, desperate for the fame. Merritt's familial tragedy during childhood made her bitter and shrewd, but she's otherwise a bright girl who battles with self-esteem. Libbie Brookhants married for convenience; a rich suitor nearing death offering her the chance of a lifetime... All she had to do was say, I do. And sweet Alex, once called 'Alex the Flirt' who would do anything for the woman she loved, eventually at the cost of herself.

Over 600 pages in length, I feel like its fair to say Emily Danforth knew the story she wanted to tell. There were parts of introductory content that absolutely dragged, leaving me wondering if the book just wasn't going to be for me. Alternatively there were parts of the book that flowed so seamlessly, you could clearly tell which passages the author enjoyed writing, and which ones she had to write. The interactions between the characters were so well thought out, she could have easily cut out all the horror and made this a flat out romance. It may have read a little smoother had she done so, since she clearly enjoyed having her characters fall in love.

For me, this story was okay. It wasn't the spectacular page turner I was expecting it to be, nor was it so bad I needed to avoid reading it. It had some exciting twist and turns near the ending, but the ending itself fell a little short of the mark. It was a dreaded open ending. Emily Danforth could neither commit to killing everyone nor could she give them a happily ever after so she settled for something in between... Some people will like how it ended, I personally prefer my endings to have closure.

3 Stars