In 1976, Ryan Flannigan became a star. Only ten years old at the time, she's haunted by a past of exploitation and a fame that she never craved. Now, in 2019, she's living a quiet life in Vermont with her daughter, but everything she's tried so hard to escape all comes crashing back in when she's made aware of a devastating news report involving a controversial photograph taken of her when she was a little girl. That photo has been found in the hands of a billionaire pedophile and sex trafficker, but the worst of it is that Ryan's mother herself gifted it to him. Forced to confront her neglectful mother and the question of her innocence, Ryan reminisces on the path to her stardom and her lost youth.
Clearly inspired by the often controversial life of former child stat Brooke Shields, as well as the recent scandal involving Epstein and his accomplices, Such a Pretty Girl is a harrowing, well-done account of the push and pull between a selfish mother and the daughter who -- like all children -- wants to give her everything.
This story is a painful journey. Of course, it's easy to sympathize with our heroine, Ryan, who we follow from her childhood up until adulthood. Now a mother herself, Ryan looks back and recognizes her mother's neglect and the way she was exploited, with no one willing to protect her. Her relationship with Sasha, her daughter, is beautifully done, as she struggles to balance giving Sasha her freedom without suffocating her. As for the complicated, uncomfortable relationship between Ryan and her own mother, Greenwood is impressive in her capability to show us the mingled love and hate, the way that Ryan both craves her mother's love and is never sure of its reliability.
Mainly character-driven, Such a Pretty Girl is at its strongest when Ryan is evaluating her past, opening herself up to the painful questions that plague her about her the degree of involvement her mother has had with not only Ryan's exploitation, but the exploitation of other young girls. It's certainly a timely novel, and I think that Greenwood handles all of the issues addressed with remarkable grace.
As a whole, I would highly recommend this novel, especially for its beautiful descriptions of life in the '70s and its protagonist coming to terms with her mother's abuse. It is often a difficult read, but one certainly worth the time and effort.
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