Everything Glittered

Everything Glittered, by Robin Talley

There’s a murder in Washington DC…in 1927. Only three teenage girls are willing to look beyond the surface and see what really happened.

I really enjoyed this book but if you’re looking for a mystery-forward plot this might not be the book for you. The murder mystery is certainly there and fills the plot. Gertie takes the matter seriously, and we do discover the identity of the killer.

But Everything Glittered is primarily the story of three teenage girls stepping outside of their narrow lives and getting a look at what else is out there. The majority of the book focuses on the schism between Gertie’s upbringing and her journey of self-discovery – the gradual realization of her queerness, and the future she can barely imagine is at odds with the future her mother has always pushed her toward. This is executed beautifully, with information about fashion and etiquette being leveraged against less-vaunted society. There’s a lot of minutiae specific to the daily lives of the politicians’ daughters in the 1920s, with lots of etiquette and fashion detail and while this certainly furthers the story, it also tips the balance toward atmosphere over action.

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Disclaimer: I was provided with an eARC by the publisher via NetGalley at no cost to myself. The opinions above are my own.