On The Thrift Shelf

Pretty Is by Maggie Mitchell is a dark and intriguing psychological thriller that explores the lingering effects of trauma and the complexity of identity. The story follows two women, Lois and Carly May, who share a sinister bond: as teenagers, they were abducted by a stranger and held captive for two months. Now adults, they’ve moved on in vastly different ways—Lois as a college professor and Carly May as an actress—but their shared past resurfaces when a novel eerily based on their ordeal is published, threatening to unravel their carefully constructed lives.

Mitchell’s dual narratives and shifting perspectives build a slow-burning tension, blending literary fiction with elements of suspense. The book delves into the psychology of survival, the ambiguity of memory, and society’s obsession with beauty and victimhood. Pretty Is is a haunting, thought-provoking read that lingers long after its unsettling conclusion.