The Women in White - Sarah Pekkanen

 The Women in White  - Sarah Pekkanen

Pub. Date: Aug. 4, 2026

She read

Riley Bell, seeking to reinvent herself after her divorce due to her husband’s gambling debts, takes a job as a caregiver for an octogenarian named Betty. Upon arriving at Betty’s home, Riley is surprised to find that the house is stuck in the 1960s, with outdated décor and no modern amenities. Through a dual timeline, the reader learns that Betty was one of four young women in 1964 subjected to questionable research practices by a professor investigating paranormal phenomena. As Betty reaches out from her insulating time bubble home to try to find her former friends, both she and Riley uncover an unspeakable secret that puts their lives in danger. 

I recall learning about the parapsychology experiments at Duke University during my Psych 101 course. While these date back to the 1930s, this story reflects a twisted, unethical continuation of that inquiry. It is an unsettling and compelling tale. Well written, I did find some of the plot to be a bit unbelievable. While I am not sure I liked the turn the book took toward the end, Pekannen’s strong writing style prevented it from overshadowing the overall narrative.

At the beginning of each chapter, Pekannen cited phenomena that really did take place in history.  This technique helped give an authentic flavor to the narrative.

Thanks to @NetGalley and @StMartinsPress for the DRC.

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