Monica Brashears

Magnolia works at a gas station in Knoxville, TN. Her mother is a deadbeat, and she was raised by her grandmother, who has just died when the book opens, leaving Magnolia at loose ends. A wealthy man comes into the gas station, is instantly captivated by her, and offers her a job as a model. She is intrigued, but soon discovers he works at a funeral home, and this "modeling" job actually requires dressing up as dead women to talk to their families. Throughout the book, Magnolia is visited by her dead grandmother, who offers her advice.

There is so much that just doesn't make sense about this book. I get that a gothic novel requires some suspension of disbelief, but this is all just too implausible, and there's so much about the characters that doesn't make sense, and the story never really comes together.… (more)