“Life is a fairytale that rarely hands out happy endings.”
Grady Green’s world crumbles on what should have been the happiest day of his life. The moment of his greatest triumph as an author instantly shatters into his worst nightmare. He's on the phone with his wife, Abby, sharing the great news. While driving, Abby stops for something on the road. Despite Grady’s pleas, she steps out of the car. The call goes silent. When Grady reaches the scene, all he finds is Abby’s abandoned car—door open, headlights illuminating an empty cliffside. Abby is gone.
A year later, Grady is a broken man. With Abby still missing and no answers in sight, he drowns in grief and alcohol, unable to move forward. His writing career has collapsed, too. His second novel remains unwritten, prompting his publisher to cancel his contract. Grady's agent, desperate to salvage her client and his career, offers him an escape in the form of a retreat to a secluded writing cabin on a remote Scottish island.
At first, the isolation seems like it might provide the clarity Grady needs. But as he settles into the cabin and its eerie surroundings, unsettling stories about the island’s past begin to surface. Then, Grady sees the unthinkable: a woman who looks exactly like Abby. As reality and grief blur, Grady must confront the mysteries of the island, his wife’s disappearance, and his unraveling mind. Is Abby truly gone? Or is there something on the island that defies explanation?
Beautiful Ugly sees Alice Feeney craft a missing-person tale that intertwines themes of creativity, marriage, and grief. While I’ve had mixed reactions to her previous novels, I eagerly accepted a copy of this one from her publisher. Feeney hooked me immediately with the intriguing mystery of Abby’s sudden disappearance. The novel pulses with a sense of unease, heightened by the eerie setting of an isolated island cabin disconnected from the outside world. The story unfolds through Grady’s present-day perspective as he uncovers the island’s dark secrets, interwoven with flashbacks from Abby’s point of view, revealing her life in the days leading up to her disappearance. Both narrators prove unreliable, keeping readers unmoored and engrossed throughout.
Feeney’s signature shocking twists are in full force here, and Beautiful Ugly culminates in one that I didn’t anticipate. While surprising, though, the twist didn’t feel entirely earned. The best plot twists carry a sense of inevitability upon reflection, with breadcrumbs scattered along the way. Though effective in delivering an over-the-top shock, this one feels abrupt and disconnected from the story's foundation. Despite this, the novel’s suspenseful build-up and immersive atmosphere make it a compelling read. Fans of literary suspense will find much to appreciate in the tension and mood that Feeney so expertly weaves.
For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads.
(2025, 4)
