Author: Kristi DeMeester
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Date Published: January 18, 2022
Before we even talk about the riveting story in this book, let’s talk about the language. Such a Pretty Smile is a beautifully written book, full of keen observations of the human condition and the world around us. Though horror is not my typical genre, the allegory immediately struck me….women repressed, generation after generation, by a certain type of man. As we flip between Caroline in 2004 and 2019, you begin to understand the lack of belief she has in her own sanity, the struggle she faces to be “normal” every single day. I loved the creep factor: weirdly composed sculptures, an abandoned theme park, and pre-teens dredging up frustration in the form of over-the-top anger.
I checked the backlist and DeMeester has a pretty good volume of work – I’ll definitely be checking out some of her other titles!
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance reader’s copy.
Book Cravings 