Title: The Women in White
Author: Sarah Pekkanen
Genre: Mystery
Rating: 4 out of 5
Extrasensory perception.
The Gift.
A Sixth Sense.
Or something else….
In 1964, four remarkable young women at a prestigious university became the subjects of parapsychology experiments by a visionary scientist. On the cusp of a historic breakthrough, the women mysteriously vanished and the program was erased from history. Decades later, Riley Bell, newly divorced and desperate for a fresh start, accepts a caretaker job for an elderly widow named Betty. Riley steps into a home that is frozen in another era – no microwave, television, or cell phones, and Betty has never heard of the internet. Why has Betty lived in such profound isolation for so many years, and why does she need Riley now? As the story unfolds across two timelines – Betty’s 1960s era of 5 o’clock martinis and high-stakes experiments, and Riley’s quest to uncover the truth about the missing women – old secrets rise to the surface. And the only way to survive is to confront the mystery that has lingered for sixty years.
On one hand, this was a great read. Not my usual historical fiction era, but I enjoyed it—except for the expectations and controlling of the men in the novel. That was absolutely infuriating. The writing was excellent, and I loved all the characters. The experiments in the story were horrifying to me, but believable. I loved how Riley came to figure out what was going on and apply the lessons from Betty’s past to her own life.
Sarah Pekkanen is a bestselling author. The Women in White is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)
Tomorrow Is Another Day 