Mira had lived in awe of her mother. When she was young, the two of them had lived in Phineas House, in Las Vegas, New Mexico. Collette was bright and brittle, and brought a string of lovers into the house. Mira often faded into the background, only noticed by the silent women that served them. And then, Collette disappeared.
Mira gained new guardians, a lovely couple in Ohio that gave her a normal life. And she grew up, becoming an art teacher. And then, her new parents died, and while settling their estate, she found that she still owned Phineas House. And it called to her.
And so, Mira set out for New Mexico, a woman in her 50s, going back to the childhood home she barely remembered, to the mystery of her mother’s disappearance that was never solved. Once there, she instantly felt a kinship with the house, which had sat empty so long, and seemed to come alive now that Mira had returned. Before too much longer, the silent women returned, and Mira had the first inkling that her mother’s disappearance had very strange roots indeed.
This was a really fascinating story – exactly how Collette disappeared, and the mystery of Mira’s father kept me guessing until the very end. It’s also a bit of a love story to the town of Las Vegas, New Mexico, and the setting is suitably detailed and lovely. I’d love to say more, but I’d be spoiling the story – it’s definitely worth a read, and worth the journey.