MILD SPOILERS AHEAD. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. 
 After her mother's death, Lane moved the vast estate in rural Kansas of her family, The Roanoke's. Lane knew little of her mother's mysterious family, but she quickly embraced life as one of the rich and beautiful Roanoke girls along with her cousin Allegra who's lived there all her life. However, she runs away after discovering a chilling family secret. 
 When Allegra goes missing years later, Lane comes back to Roanoke, facing all the secrets and skeletons she hoped would be gone forever. 
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 I thought I would hate this book. Actually, I wanted to hate this book. I am no stranger to disturbing, dark or taboo themes. However the problem is that I hardly find authors who can deal with such themes skillfully without floundering all around the place in a fit of incomprehension. So yes, that's why I thought I would hate this book. 
 But I didn't. 
 Apart from a few annoying phrases, the language was brilliant and riveting. I lost my breath a couple of times while reading (extremely annoying) because of the steady detail and pace set by the author. The big mystery was revealed quiet early on but surprisingly it didn't make it any less interesting. 
 The women in this book were all defined by their attachment and love of one person. It made them starved to all other aspects of themselves, ruining them for life. In turn they had more children and the cycle continued. At one point they all flitted between victim to villain but you couldn't help but sympathize with them. Allegra, Penelope, Camilla and the rest never truly stood a chance. Lane was just lucky enough to get away. 
 The main theme of this book is how monsters are never truly in the covers we expect them to be. Sometimes their voices are sweet and kind, make us feel loved, make us feel like the only damned beings on earth, cover us with warmth no one else will give us. It also heavily leaned into victim-blaming because each girl was judged unfairly and put into a convenient box to explain their behaviors. Even the ones who managed to run away, like Lane's mother Camilla, were so damaged they could barely function away from the only life they'd ever known. 
 Meanwhile, the true villain was blameless and worshipped. One who was content to use the guise of love to proficiently manipulate them all, groomed them into what he wanted despite giving the illusion of freedom the whole time. There was never any true freedom for these women, not after making them think he would be all they ever had. 
 The real danger has always lived in my granddad's kind voice, his soft caresses. All of it masquerading as innocent, but really just a gateway drug for girls starved for affection, desperate for someone to love them. He doesn't force us with a heavy hand. He manipulates with a gentle touch, guides us exactly where he wants us to go. So in the end, we blame only ourselves. 
 Familial bonds are the strongest and most dangerous. The secrets people keep and length they will go to for those they consider blood are significantly large in many cases. It can also blur the lines between loyalty and willful blindness. At the end, what happened to Allegra felt predicted in a sad sullen way. 
 At the end, even our protagonist admitted that she could never truly break free of it. But she wouldn't let it be the only thing that defined her. 
 You can't outrun what's inside of you. You can only acknowledge it, work around it, try and turn it into something better. I may not know exactly where I'm headed, but this time I'm choosing my own destiny. 
 (view spoiler)[ Still, nothing is without sin and there are something I just can't let go of like: 
 1. Why did it never occur to the police or Lane to go to the swimming hole until the end? 
 2. I'm pretty sure that Granddad knew about Allegra from the beginning. (hide spoiler)] 
 This book pulled me in all kinds of directions. It served its purpose.