Beth is Dead by Katie Bernet
Published by Sarah Barley Books ISBN: 9781665988698
Genres: Mystery, Psychological thriller
Format: Young Adult
Goodreads

On New Year’s Day, in modern-day Concord, Massachusetts, Jo March wakes up to find her sister Beth dead, seemingly killed. Everyone is a suspect. Amy, who took Beth to a New Year’s Eve party, was too busy hooking up with Laurie to have any answers. Meg is off at Harvard studying medicine, becoming a nurse like their mother. Dad is MIA. He left the home and the girls in an attempt to protect them from the controversial fallout of his novel, Little Women. Beth is Dead is told in alternating perspectives of all four sisters with a non-linear structure (Then and Now).

Little Women being a book-within-a-book shifts this novel from being a simple alternate-universe retelling to something more. It allows the March girls to critique the source while also depicting fan-favorite and familiar scenes. Beth is concerned about being too meek and perfect. Meg is concerned with being perceived as a snob. Amy is hated by nearly all readers, but seems to revel in her brashness. Jo, meanwhile, is everyone’s favorite character (and favorite Instagram/Substack influencer), which she struggles to live up to while nursing her own literary aspirations. Despite the title, all the sisters are all incredibly alive on the page, and each have their own closely-held secrets. Their snappy banter and frequent arguments feel completely realistic. The sister’s deep love for each other and Bernet’s love of the source material are both clear.

This structure also allows for an intriguing conversation about writing itself. Is writing about those around you exploitative? It is dishonest? Is it selfish? The novel never completely answers those questions (can they be answered?), but it leaves the reader with something deeper to chew on in addition to the truly thrilling twists and turns of the mystery itself. Perfect for fans of the source and newcomers alike, Beth is Dead is a great addition to any young adult collection.

Nominated for Cream of the Crop for its subversive retelling, thrilling plot, and lovably complex characters.

Reviewed by Kristin Arsenault, Mountain Valley High School, Rumford.