Arrowood

Women crime writers have become so ubiquitous that they now seem to have their own genre. These novels are more psychological and less gory than their male-generated counterparts. Their hallmark seems to be the plot twist. Terrence Rafferty's excellent piece in The Atlantic (“Women Are Writing the Best Crime Novels”) makes some relevant points. “Thanks perhaps to the current cultural emphasis on youth—on girls in particular—many of these writers have turned their attention to the mysteries of growing up… Frequently their books are as much about old crimes, imperfectly understood, that date from childhood or adolescence as they are about new ones.”

The plot in McHugh’s gothic novel focuses on the unreliability of traumatic show more childhood memories. Arden Arrowood relates her return to Keokuk, Iowa to take possession of the family manse. She inherits it following the death of her grandfather. This house was the site of the most chilling event of her childhood. Her twin sisters were abducted while she was watching them and were never seen again. Her guilt about this seems to have affected her life. She cannot finish her Master’s thesis and seems to have had a disastrous affair with one of her mentors. Also she may even have been suicidal. By living in her childhood home, she hopes to solve the mystery of her sisters’ disappearance. She also seeks to confront other demons related to her dysfunctional family. McHugh's novel admirably evokes this dying Mississippi River community and a creepy old house.

The cast of supporting characters carries childhood memories for Arden. Ben Ferris is her childhood flame. Heaney, the caretaker, seems needy. He never recovered from a teenage romance with Arden’s mother. Mrs. Ferris is Arden’s next-door neighbor and Ben's mother. She warrants suspicion because of an affair with Arden's father. This was coincident with the twins’ disappearance. Harold Singer was wrongly accused of the abduction based on testimonies from Arden and Ben. He has never overcome the accusation or forgiven Arden. Her mother divorced her father and has a new life with a religious fundamentalist pastor.

Josh Kyle is a convenient creation. He not only provides some romance for Arden, but also some much needed expertise. As an amateur sleuth operating a cold-case website called “Midwest Mysteries,” he serves as a sounding board to keep Arden focused on the solving the mystery.

The writing builds a dark and suspenseful mood. But some of its elements seem contrived. These include mysterious water seepage, ghost-like occurrences, two forebears—conveniently named Arden—who die young, Heaney’s strange reaction to Arden’s findings and her father’s unusual relationship with Heaney. The plot does not lack for twists and clues are plentiful. Although satisfying, the outcome is not unpredictable for anyone paying attention. In this case, Rafferty’s conclusion may be apt. “The time is coming, and it might not be far off, when dodgy first-person accounts of dire events won’t trick anyone but the most gullible readers… If the verbal pyrotechnics that these women writers have been so effectively using get predictable, if their narrators become reliably unreliable, the power to mystify dissipates like the smoke from a fired gun.” show less

Laura McHugh is making me fall in love with gothic mysteries all over again. Her debut novel, The Weight of Blood took readers deep into the Ozarks, and her new novel, Arrowood takes readers to a decaying and haunted Keokuk, Iowa along the Mississippi River. Mood and setting play as important a role in these stories as plot and character.

In Arrowood, Arden Arrowood returns to the home that bears her family’s name and is also the location of a childhood tragedy when 8-year-old Arden’s 2-year-old twin sisters disappeared from their front yard. This incident defines Arden’s life as well as her family and neighbor’s. When Arden returns to Arrowood upon her father’s death, she finds herself consumed in the mystery and discovers show more that the house and the town hold many more secrets than she ever suspected.

McHugh has a special knack for capturing small towns and rural areas with all their signs of past splendor and facades that hide the decay going on behind them in both their structures and their inhabitants. She infuses both her settings and her characters with a haunted feeling. Arden is fixated on the day her twin sisters went missing and the altered course upon which it set everyone’s lives. Arden is a history student doing a thesis on nostalgia, and nostalgia is a theme that permeates the book; Arden’s memories of her childhood home during happier times and Keokuk’s nostalgia for its prouder days when it was prosperous and filled with wealth and dreams.

Arden is a fascinating character who has never given up hope of learning what happened to her sisters. She clings to their memory as well as the memory of happier times in her childhood, including her friend, Ben. Clinging to these memories though has locked her in a sort of stasis which prevents her from moving forward. Coming home has begun to unlock secrets that no one is sure they want revealed. With the help of a mystery site blogger, Arden continues probing into her sister’s disappearance. What she finds makes her begin to doubt her own recollection of events and leads to a powerful and moving conclusion.

Arrowood is a wonderful novel that will haunt you long after you reach the final page. Laura McHugh has become must read. Highly recommended.

I was fortunate to receive an advance copy of this book. show less

Arden has lived away from the town of Keokuk for many years, haunted by the disappearance of her twin sisters when she was 8. On the death of her father Arden inherits Arrowood, the family mansion on the banks of the Mississippi, and at a crossroads in her life she moves in. The mansion is old and hides many secrets but Arden is determined to solve the mystery of what happened to her sisters. Helped by both her high school sweetheart and a man interested in local mysteries Arden struggles to make sense of memory and place.

Laura McHugh is developing into an outstanding writer of intelligent mysteries that lie on the popular side of fiction but actually have a lot of depth and interest to them, her debut 'The Weight of Blood' was show more excellent. Here the setting is a mid-West town full of faded grandeur and hidden secrets and Arden is a troubled woman. the source of her troubles is only revealed in the final section of the book but the lead up is both suspenseful and sympathetically written. Little hints of the supernatural do nothing but add to the air of mystery, points aren't laboured to death here and characters are drawn lightly but with enough detail to allow the reader to see perspectives and fill in gaps. Altogether a hugely satisfying novel to read and I eagerly await more. show less

Memories can be tricky things, especially those that form when you're a child. Arden Arrowood is sure of what she saw that day in 1994, when her younger twin sisters went missing outside their house in Keokuk, Iowa, never to be seen again. After many years away, Arden has returned to the family home after inheriting it from her grandparents, and it's not long before things happen that make her question her sisters' disappearance.

ARROWOOD is a haunting modern Gothic with an unsettling mystery at its core. My heart went out to Arden, emotionally stuck in the past, in limbo, just waiting for her baby sisters to come home. She had a bit of an obsession with nostalgia, which I can relate to. I was on pins and needles with Arden, waiting to show more find out what happened to little Violet and Tabitha.

This was a well-written novel, dark and suspenseful, with a hint of the paranormal. Definitely a couple of creepy moments! I was somewhat frustrated by the ending, though after thinking about it, it seemed to fit the overall vibe of the book. ARROWOOD is a great follow-up to Laura McHugh's first novel, THE WEIGHT OF BLOOD, and I'm looking forward to her next book.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. show less

I really enjoyed this mystery. I like mystery/thrillers that revolve around cold cases. It creates a creepy atmosphere that is only helped in this case by the old musty mansion, possible ghost sightings, and shady characters that may be suspects or just red herrings. I also like mysteries that have a strong sense of place - where the setting is as important as a character. Arrowood and the dying Iowa town along the Mississippi River definitely fit that category. Arden is a complex character whose character unfolds as the mystery does. I will definitely look for more from this author in the future.

The first thing that grabbed me about this book was the cover, that often happens to me, after reading the first paragraph, I was hooked. Arden Arrowood is 8 years old when she leaves her twins sisters for a short few minutes and sees a gold car pulling away with a vision of long hair blowing in the wind from the back window. Fast forward to now, after many moves with her inadequate parents, her father has died and she has inherited the magnificent, historic family mansion Arrowood and returns to Keokuk, the place where her twin sisters went missing all those years ago.
I like mysteries but am too much of a chicken little to read horror stories, this is the perfect mystery for me. I found myself solving the mystery only to be second show more guessing myself pages later. Laura McHugh is an excellent author, this girl can write! She makes you feel as though you are actually there, smelling the Fall air, the musty areas of the house, feeling the chill of the autumn air. She captures the essence and emotions of the characters through her excellent descriptions. This book is eloquent, thought provoking and brutally honest, it will keep you guessing until the end with just the right amount of mystery. These types of books aren't meant to be feel good books, but by the end it left me with a sense of feeling good for all the characters. I'd recommend this one. show less

ARROWOOD by Laura McHugh
Arrowood is a gothic thriller that starts slowly with mounting eeriness as the main character, Arden Arrowood, is slowly revealed along with the tragedies in her life. Her twin sisters disappeared while she, only 8 years old, was supposed to be watching them. Arden has scars, both physical and mental, from this and other traumas in her past life.
Arrowood, the house, has been in her family for generations, but has stood empty since shortly after the twins disappeared. Arden returns to Arrowood twenty years later when her grandfather bequeaths her the long empty house. The tension mounts as her back story is revealed and various characters from her past, along with an amateur detective who is fascinated by the show more unsolved mystery of the twin’s disappearance, are introduced.
McHugh is a gifted writer who maintains a firm grip on a story that could easily become maudlin. Instead the eeriness and growing unease builds to a crescendo. The characters are slowly developed into rich, fully portrayed persons embodied in a horrifying story.
5 of 5 stars show less