GIFTED / Today I bring you my review for the book I read in 2019. It’s a story with two time lines, and I really enjoyed it.
Big Lies in a Small Town was published today, on January 14th 2020 by St. Marin’s Press, and it has 400 pages.
I received an e-ARC of this book via Netgalley, in an exchange for an honest review.
About the book:
FROM GOODREADS / North Carolina, 2018: Morgan Christopher’s life has been derailed. Taking the fall for a crime she did not commit, she finds herself serving a three-year stint in the North Carolina Women’s Correctional Center. Her dream of a career in art is put on hold—until a mysterious visitor makes her an offer that will see her released immediately. Her assignment: restore an old post office mural in a sleepy southern town. Morgan knows nothing about art restoration, but desperate to leave prison, she accepts. What she finds under the layers of grime is a painting that tells the story of madness, violence, and a conspiracy of small town secrets.
North Carolina, 1940: Anna Dale, an artist from New Jersey, wins a national contest to paint a mural for the post office in Edenton, North Carolina. Alone in the world and desperate for work, she accepts. But what she doesn’t expect is to find herself immersed in a town where prejudices run deep, where people are hiding secrets behind closed doors, and where the price of being different might just end in murder.
What happened to Anna Dale? Are the clues hidden in the decrepit mural? Can Morgan overcome her own demons to discover what exists beneath the layers of lies?
Review:
Diane Chamberlain was on my “authors I’d like to read” for a while now because Nicole from GirlyGirlBookWorm really likes her, and us two have the similar taste in books.
This was my first read by this writer, but it surely won’t be the last, because I really liked Big Lies in a Small Town.
The story follows two time lines: one set in 1940 and the second set in today’s time.
This book made me realize that I actually enjoy reading books with two different time lines, and I will try to add more novels with that kind of concept in my future readings.
We follow two women: Morgan, who is the narrator of the story and her chapters are written in first person.
Then we have Anna who’s story is set in 1940 and is written in third person.
Both stories take place in North Carolina, and of course, are connected.
After I finished my reading I wasn’t sure who’s story I liked better, and then I came to conclusion that Anna’s was more interesting, but with Morgan I connected more.
This book hit the home for me, and not in a good way, because it reminded me of my not-the-happiest childhood. I often caught myself thinking about my own life and my own complicated relationship with my parents, but that is the story for another time…
The writing was very good. It was beautiful and easy to read.
I think it is important to say that this book covers serious topics like alcoholism and racism in a sententious way, and from my perspective, it was not triggering. Still, I can’t speak for others.
However, there is one trigger warning readers should know about: and that’s that this book talks about sexual abuse.
I loved the way the story wrapped up, and the scene at the very end once again hit home for me, but it also warmed my heart.
I really, really enjoyed reading Big Lies in a Small Town and would recommend it to readers who like historical fiction, general fiction and art.
This will complete challenges Read a book with yellow on the cover (letters are yellow) and Read a contemporary that is beloved by a member of the book community (Nicole from 
This one will count for challenges Read a 2019 release and Read a dark/hard-hitting contemporary.
This book will count for the challenge Read a diverse contemporary (aim to read something outside of your own experience).
This novel will complete challenges Read a contemporary with an illustrated cover and Read a contemporary with plants on the cover (a tree).
Book Dust Magic 