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‘Broken Girls’ mixes supernatural tale with gripping mystery
By OLINE H. COGDILL, Associated Press
“ e Broken Girls” (Berkley), by Simone St. James
Simone St. James’ sixth stand-alone nov- el mixes a creepy supernatural tale, com- plete with ghosts and things that go bump in the night, with a gripping mystery.
“ e Broken Girls” also works well as a story about unshakeable friendship, par- enting issues, obsession and sexism folded into a satisfying plot that straddles two eras of time.
e broken girls are those who end up in Idlewild Hall, “the boarding school of last resort, where parents stashed their embarrassments, their failures, and their recalcitrant girls.” Four of the girls who are roommates at Idlewild in 1950 — Katie, CeCe, Roberta and Sonia — refuse to be broken by the school’s strict rules and the abandonment of their families.
Located in “the backwoods of Vermont,” the castlelike fortress is rumored to be haunted by the ghost of Mary Hand, a young woman who once lived there.
In 2014, the now shuttered Idlewild haunts Vermont journalist Fiona Sher- idan, whose sister’s body was found on
the school’s grounds 20 years ago. Deb Sheridan’s boyfriend was convicted and he is still in prison for her murder. But Fiona is obsessed with the murder and believes the truth didn’t come out in court. When
a family with no local ties buys Idlewild, Fiona seizes on the chance to do a story
on the school — and further investigate her sister’s murder. e story intensi es when the remains of another girl are found buried on the grounds.
“ e Broken Girls” smoothly alter- nates between the two eras, capturing the idiosyncrasies of each. Fear and distrust permeate the scenes of the 1950s, while Fiona’s terrors come from within her. e
roommates’ bonds and strength serve these naive teens well, while Fiona’s sup- port system is lacking.
St. James blankets Idlewild with an evocative atmosphere that makes the ap- pearance of a ghost seem real. e school’s abandoned rooms with rotting furniture, dripping water and a chill that permeates
the building add to the deliciously creepy feeling. Sure, these are cliches of supernat- ural and horror, but St. James makes the tropes seem fresh.
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Online: http://www.simonestjames.com/
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