Plain Bad Heroines: A Book Review
By: Mallory Johnson
I recently read the (very long) adult queer horror (and comedy) book Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth. It was the February fiction book for my sapphic book club Sapph-Lit and I am so glad it was, because I would not have picked it up if it was not, because of the length. This book is Emily’s first adult novel, and it came out in 2020. Emily’s other book is young adult and is called The Miseducation of Cameron Post, and it came out in 2012. Plain Bad Heroines follows two interwoven plots. The first plotline follows a cursed boarding school for girls called Brookhants (appropriately pronounced Brook-Haunts), and a haunted book called The Story of Mary MacLane, set in 1902. The second plot follows a book about the 1902 events, and the movie adaptation of that book, set in the early 2000s. Cursed yellow jackets, twists, and the body count rise throughout both storylines. Before I go any further, SPOILER ALERT. Also, trigger warnings for: exploitation, blood and gore, yellow jackets (bees), violence, death, homophobia, illness, fire, body horror, child death, vomit, sexual violence, murder, suicide, drug use, sexual content, injury detail, emotional abuse, pregnancy, gaslighting, a car accident, alcoholism, divorce, mental illness, trauma, psychosis, and grief.
This is one of the most creative stories that I have ever read. The double plot lines work very well, and they make the length of the story (617 pages) worth the read for sure! I enjoyed the addition of the illustrations; they really added to the story and its creativity. I loved how basically all the characters were queer. It was refreshing how casually some characters' sexuality was brought up. For example, one male main character just casually mentioned how he had a husband. It was refreshing that there were (many) openly gay relationships in this story, especially in 1902. I was also refreshed to see casual polyamory in this story: it was not seen as deviant or inappropriate; just natural for the characters involved. I was shocked when I discovered that the cursed book in the story, The Story of Mary MacLane, is a real book! I ordered it and am very excited to read it (let’s hope I do not get cursed while reading it!)
A quote that I love in the story is, “She was a person like this: full of opinion and firm standing, she planted her flag in more topics than you could quite believe she could actually care about.” Another quote I love is, “And so every day of my life I am playing a part.” Finally, a third quote I love is, “Troubling are the deaths of older people submerged in deep regret.” I loved how Emily used footnotes throughout the story, often used to break the “fourth wall” (think The Office). She would frequently say “Remember this name, Readers” for example. At times this made it feel like nonfiction (especially with the Mary MacLane story being real!).
Overall, I LOVED this book and am so glad I read it. I strongly believe that all 617 pages were necessary to fully tell the story. I fully did not expect the twists at the end, and I love that. I loved how it had satire and critiques of Hollywood and fame culture. I give it a strong 10/10 and cannot wait to read more from Emily M. Danforth and The Story of Mary MacLane!