Review: Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth

I recently acquired a library card in my college town and spent some time browsing for audiobooks. I came across Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth, and on a whim, I decided to request the audiobook to see what it was about. The next thing I knew, Danforth’s writing pulled me into a bewitching tale full of mystery and ghosts that would leave me with more questions than answers.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

Blurb

Our story begins in 1902, at The Brookhants School for Girls. Flo and Clara, two impressionable students, are obsessed with each other and with a daring young writer named Mary MacLane, the author of a scandalous bestselling memoir. To show their devotion to Mary, the girls establish their own private club and call it The Plain Bad Heroine Society. They meet in secret in a nearby apple orchard, the setting of their wildest happiness and, ultimately, of their macabre deaths. This is where their bodies are later discovered with a copy of Mary’s book splayed beside them, the victims of a swarm of stinging, angry yellow jackets. Less than five years later, The Brookhants School for Girls closes its doors forever—but not before three more people mysteriously die on the property, each in a most troubling way.

Over a century later, the now abandoned and crumbling Brookhants is back in the news when wunderkind writer, Merritt Emmons, publishes a breakout book celebrating the queer, feminist history surrounding the “haunted and cursed” Gilded-Age institution. Her bestselling book inspires a controversial horror film adaptation starring celebrity actor and lesbian it girl Harper Harper playing the ill-fated heroine Flo, opposite B-list actress and former child star Audrey Wells as Clara. But as Brookhants opens its gates once again, and our three modern heroines arrive on set to begin filming, past and present become grimly entangled—or perhaps just grimly exploited—and soon it’s impossible to tell where the curse leaves off and Hollywood begins.

A story within a story within a story and featuring black-and-white period illustrations.

Review of Plain Bad Heroines

• Slow-paced
• A mix of character and plot-driven
• Multiple MCs (in different timelines)
• Multiple bi and lesbian MCs
• Unreliable narrator

Plain Bad Heroines is about as far as you could get from the thrilling, jump-scare type of horror I tend to expect. In fact, much of this story felt like a contemporary version of classic literature. The author spent a lot of time developing imperfect characters and complicated relationships. I was actually surprised by how much I ended up liking Plain Bad Heroines considering classic literature tends to irritate me with how long it takes to get to the point. But I actually loved how Danforth slowly built up tension and discomfort. I found myself enthralled with the characters and the anticipation of what would come next.

Characters

As I mentioned, all of the characters were imperfect, so I had mixed feelings about them. In fact, there were even times when I completely resented certain characters, only to have my opinion change about them later in the story. One thing I loved was that the author doesn’t push the reader to sympathize with any specific character. There are many heroines in the story, and all of them make mistakes while also having redeeming qualities.

This is especially obvious in the relationship between Libby and Alex, the two women in charge of Brookhants. The narrator makes it clear from the start that Libby and Alex are unsatisfied with their relationship. Alex has always been unquestionably loyal to Libby, but Libby can’t help but feel trapped in their monogamous relationship. It’s easy to sympathize with Alex when Libby is disloyal, but at the same time, Libby never wanted to become a wife in the first place. She was cornered into the relationship by circumstances beyond her control.

‘That’s history for you, my darlings. When you dig it up, it always carries a whiff of rot.’

Elain Brookhants in “Plain Bad Heroines” by Emily M. Danforth

The three main heroines, Harper, Merit, and Audrey, also develop a complex relationship with each other. The narrator doesn’t always reveal everything about the characters, so I often found myself trying to read between the lines. By the end, I think I figure it out? I stated in my introduction that Plain Bad Heroines left me with more questions than answers, and the characters were no exception. I was never sure where they stood with each other or how much they knew about the events happening around them.

All the unanswered questions in Plain Bad Heroines create a heavy sense of dread. What was really going on? And did I really want to know the answer?

Even after I put the book down, I found the characters lingering in my mind. My heart ached for the young heroines who died in each other’s arms; I felt righteous anger on behalf of Alex, who was nothing but loyal to a woman who never really wanted to be with her; and at the same time, I sympathized with Libby, who was cornered into a life she never wanted. I found myself imagining what their lives could have been. Their dreams that were never realized.

In the end, this is a story about unsatisfying ends to unfulfilling lives. The scariest part of Plain Bad Heroines is how possible this kind of ending is. People die too soon every day. Danforth doesn’t try to add a poetic spin or some meaning to that truth. She simply writes the tragedy of it.

Writing Style

The narrator of the story communicates directly with the reader, which is always an interesting writing style. At first, I assumed the narrator was telling me everything, but I eventually realized she was holding back details. She focuses on the character’s thoughts and actions and leaves the reader to speculate on whether what the character is experiencing is grounded in reality. Whether the character was seeing everything clearly, misinterpreting social cues, or hallucinating about yellow jackets was never really clear.

I enjoyed the slow-burn, ambiguous writing style, but it did get frustrating at times. By the end, there was a part of me that wondered what the point of the whole story was. I was hoping for the narrator to give me a satisfying conclusion that never came. Looking back, I realized that was never the point. From beginning to end, the narrator was telling the story of plain bad heroines, who would never fit the proper definition of a heroic conclusion. Although I’m still a little disappointed, I appreciate that the author maintained her theme throughout the story, even if it didn’t fit the writing conventions I’m used to.

You’ll Like This Book if You Enjoy…

• Slow-burn horror that evokes tension, discomfort, and dread
• Complicated characters with complicated relationships
• A narrator that allows the reader to come to their own conclusions
• Ambiguous endings

***Note: I really liked the audiobook narrator for “Plain Bad Heroines”, and I think it helped me get through the slower parts of the story without it feeling like a slog. I doubt I would have enjoyed the book so much if I hadn’t listened to the audiobook, so I recommend trying it out if you’re intimidated by the length***

Where to find Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth

Have you read Plain Bad Heroines? Let’s discuss in the comments!