The Lace Reader

I'm not exactly sure how best to describe The Lace Reader - there is so much going on and while I really enjoyed it, I'm not sure I completely understood it! Brunonia Barry's debut novel is about Towner Whitney, who leaves her self-imposed exile in California to return to her hometown of Salem, Massachussets when her favorite aunt Eva is found dead. Generations of Whitney women have a gift for seeing the future in the lace they make, and Eva was one of the best, but her shocking death is just another trauma in Towner's life. Once back in Salem, she is quickly swept up in the disappearance of a young woman who had joined a local cult whose leader was well known for his history of violence against the Whitney women. As they search for the young woman, Towner becomes wrapped up in the investigation and the cop leading it, John Rafferty. And as the story unfolds, we learn more and more about Towner's past and begin to question everything we've read so far. The ending will have you looking back throughout the book and re-reading it with a different frame of mind but whether you understand it completely or not, you'll enjoy every page.