Big Lies in a Small Town: A Novel

Anna wakes on what would have been her mother’s 44th birthday, the grief still fresh. She drives to the warehouse and finds Jesse painting a portrait of his mother as a birthday gift. Anna tells him the story of her mother’s manic-depression and suicide and confesses that the guilt over not committing her mother to a mental hospital still plagues her. Jesse offers consolation, telling Anna that it wasn’t her fault. Jesse is the first person Anna has told about these things, and getting it off her chest alleviates some of the burden that she has been carrying.

Oliver drives Morgan home from the ER. His care and concern only deepen her feelings for him: feelings she can’t deny but is reluctant to express.

Working on the mural reignites Anna’s artistic passion, and Jesse’s presence gives her the satisfaction of imparting that passion to a fellow artist. Peter is now occupied with baseball, so he no longer comes to the warehouse. One night, unable to sleep, Anna drives to the warehouse in the middle of the night to work on the mural. She paints until 9 o’clock in the morning and then falls asleep. Three hours later, Pauline wakes her and invites her to lunch. At the restaurant, she tells Anna that she and Karl are expecting a baby. Then, however, the conversation turns to town gossip about Anna and Jesse. Pauline shares that the townsfolk are starting to believe that the two are more than just friends; she also warns Anna to be careful, as perception and opinion can matter more than fact.

When Anna has dinner with Myrtle, Pauline, and Karl, they chastise her for venturing out to the warehouse during the night without a chaperone. She agrees to be more discreet, if only to stop their nagging. The next day, Anna picks up a cot from Pauline to keep at the warehouse for short naps. As she drives away, Martin speeds by on his red motorcycle, nearly causing a collision. She is grateful that he never comes by the warehouse anymore.

Morgan visits with her parole officer and defends her night out with Oliver and the crew, insisting, “I knew I could go and not drink” (255). Lisa, however, fears that Morgan may “backslide.” Desperate to keep her job and avoid a return to prison, Morgan agrees to keep working regardless of her sprained ankle.

With the cot, Anna is now able to nap briefly during the afternoon and work later into the night, a practice that many in the town frown upon, due to the belief that a young woman shouldn’t be out alone after dark. Even Jesse warns her of the danger, although his concern is more practical than moral. One day, Jesse compares Anna to her mother, to their similar bursts of intensity. The comparison angers Anna, but her overreaction suggests that he may have a point.

One morning, Lisa enters the gallery with Anna Dale’s original sketch, and the oddities are conspicuously absent: no motorcycle, no bloody hammer, and no image of Martin in a mirror. After work, Morgan heads to the library for more research, and she finds a news article about the defacement of the warehouse. With more questions than answers, she decides to question Mama Nelle once more for details about Anna and Jesse’s relationship.

Anna awakens in the warehouse, unsure of the time. It’s the middle of the night, and she hears movement. She turns on the light and sees Martin. He is drunk and angry, and he forces himself on her. She pleads and struggles but eventually stops fighting when he physically overwhelms her. As he sexually assaults her, she sees the hammer on the floor next to her.

Nelle comes to the gallery, and the moment she sees Anna’s mural, she is transfixed, transported back in time. Morgan asks her about the oddities in the mural and whether Anna and Jesse were lovers. Nelle denies it, but when Morgan presses her, Nelle whispers in her ear, “You’ll keep her secrets, right?” (272).

Jesse arrives at the warehouse the next morning to find Anna naked on the floor next to the body of Martin, whose head is split open. She clutches a journal in which she has described the incident. Jesse helps her get dressed and vows to “take care of it” (272). He disposes of the body and covers the blood on the floor with red paint, then guards the warehouse, denying entrance to all spectators while Anna tries to recover from the shock. Later that day, Pauline visits and assumes that Jesse has hurt her. Anna defends Jesse, and when Pauline insists that she go to the hospital, Anna refuses. Desperate to get rid of Pauline, she assumes an air of normalcy and returns to her painting.

That night, wanting to avoid Myrtle’s scrutiny, she turns in early. Battered and bruised both physically and emotionally, she is torn between guilt and righteous justification.