Opposing Views

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney is a twisty tale.

Grady is the epitome of an unreliable narrator. He is an author struggling with the disappearance of his wife Abby one year prior. He hasn’t been able to write since that night, and is slowly losing everything.

Then, his publisher (also his wife’s godmother) offers him a secluded cabin on the island of Amberly in Scotland. He is expected to use this time to write his next book.

While on island, he sees glimpses of his missing wife, experiences extreme paranoia about the residents and encounters an unknown intruder who leaves behind his wife’s former news articles.

Grady ends up writing a novel which he based on a stolen manuscript from the cabin’s former writer in residence. Afterward he realizes that he may be stuck on the island for good.

The story jumps between his view and Abby’s with each chapter’s title offering another oxymoron. The tragic history of the island is revealed in the end, and Grady will play a part in continuing its strange existence.