A Spoiler-Free Review of Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney
Author Grady Green is having the worst best day of his life. After his wife disappears, he retreats to a remote island in Scotland, hoping to get his life back on track and reignite his writing career. That’s the premise of Alice Feeney’s new thriller Beautiful Ugly.
From the very start, Alice Feeney imbues Beautiful Ugly with an atmosphere of unease. The story alternates between the point of view of Grady and his wife Abby, gradually peeling back layers of their marriage and secrets. As the book’s dust jacket reads: “Wives think their husbands will change but they don’t. Husbands think their wives won’t change but they do.” Yet this is not what I would call a conventional domestic thriller about marriage.
The characters are compelling and kept me guessing as to what was really going on. Grady’s wry self awareness and ironic, if slightly depressive outlook on life make him an intriguing narrator. Abby is more mysterious, but exudes strength and level-headedness. But their reliability as narrators is constantly in question, with the truth always tantalizingly out of reach.
The atmosphere Feeney creates on the island is also top notch. It is a place of wonder, beauty and community but also claustrophobic and creepy. Although Feeney keeps the tension high and the twists coming, she lets the story breathe and unfold at a pace that never feels rushed or forced, which I really enjoyed.
Not only are the characters questioning what is happening around them, but cleverly crafted passages layered with double meaning subtly add to a growing sense of dread. Everyday conversations take on sinister undertones that left me questioning what was really going on. Around the midpoint, the tension escalated dramatically, pulling me even deeper into the story.
While I anticipated one major twist early on, the lingering questions about why kept me hooked until the end. Feeney’s reputation as the Queen of Twists is well-earned, with this book delivering plenty of dark, satisfying thrills.
Many thanks to our friends at Raincoast Books for providing an advanced copy.