“Strength and Beauty must go hand in hand.” Louisa May Alcott
Holy Mackerel! It’s been a month and change since I’ve posted. A month and change!!! I’ve been on a big ol’ rollercoaster. I’m hoping the holidays will rescue me. (Should I be nervous that I’m looking for some kind of liberation from the busiest time of the year?) Hmmm. Good thing I’ve got my own grown-up Christmas list: No more lives torn apart, way more books to start—and time to heal this workin’ momma’s heart. Of course, visions of Doerr and Towles have already begun to dance in my head. Anticipation of good reads to come is a gift in and of itself, no?
Okay, back to the present. I need to tell you about We Are All the Same in the Dark by Julia Heaberlin. Like Jane Harper, Heaberlin comes from a journalism background. She’s won awards for her work and all of that good stuff. Interestingly, she’s been called a writer hiding in plain sight. And this detail caught my eye: “Heaberlin anchors her books with troubled but badass women. Think Amy Schumer’s character in Trainwreck, except with guns and greater possibility of redemption.” But I didn’t read that female’s-got-pride comment until after I closed the cover on We Are All the Same in the Dark; the truth is I stumbled on the title somewhere and I’ve been on a bit of a psychological thriller bender lately. (Blaming Michealides for that.)
Chances are, if you like a cold case, you’ll like We Are All the Same in the Dark. It’s been a decade since Trumanell Branson disappeared, leaving behind a bloody handprint. While younger brother, Wyatt Branson, was legally cleared of the murder conviction, he was found guilty in the court of public opinion. (His stint in a mental institution only perpetuated harsh judgments and treatment.) Wyatt’s high school girlfriend, Odette (daughter of the late police chief and now a detective herself), was determined to crack the cold one wide open. There are twists and turns and a parallel story to run alongside this atmospheric mystery. Were there a few loose threads? Yes. But overall, Heaberlin achieves something far bigger than solving a crime—she effectively underscores the fact that, for females, strength and beauty must go hand in hand.