What an unbelievably baffling but hauntingly beautiful and atmospheric novel. I have had the hardest time since finishing this book trying to sort out how I feel about it because on the one hand it is such an exquisitely crafted and unique story, but on the other it is the most confusing and disturbing mind fuck I have ever read. The real standout in this novel is the writing, which is absolutely striking and draws you into the world and the mystery, painting this undeniably dark and complex and unsettling picture. The writing style is almost like a stream of consciousness, all confusion and chaos but graceful and fluid and always moving, never letting you stop and rest so that you can't help but be swept along with the tide. The writing draws you deep into the darkest spaces of the characters minds as their interconnected stories unravel. It creates this incredibly ugly and gruesome and disturbingly vivid portrait of the murkiest parts of human nature, a stark counterpoint to this image of little girls wearing pink tutus learning to pirouette. The style, tone, atmosphere and characterisation in this novel work so well, it is wholly engaging and incredibly compelling and, even though I literally had no idea what to make of it, I had to keep reading. 
 The strange thing about this book is that it really seems to have no plot, no organised narrative structure that it is following, until pretty much the final page where everything suddenly clicks into place. There's no real build up or climax, the story is just finished and you are left to mull over those final realisations. The ending is both ingenious and shocking, but altogether fitting for such a cryptic and perplexing mystery. In any other book I would say that the pacing was a negative, but somehow in this story it simply heightens the mastery of the writing, that such a book can keep you engaged and focused and uneasy and anxious until the final second. It is also a book that defies a single genre, flitting into and out of the paranormal, thriller, horror and crime genres at varying stages. It draws ideas and concepts from so many different areas, weaving them all together into one entirely twisted exploration of female friendships and rivalries, innocence and culpability as well as the price that must be paid to account for your sins. 
 Overall, it is a powerful, well-written read, but not for the faint of heart. Absolutely unforgettable, but not one I think I want to read again any time soon.