The Women in White by Sarah Pekkanen Review | Historical Fiction & Mystery

Sometimes the tiniest detail lodges into our minds for a reason. It’s a clue to something much bigger. Don’t doubt your intuition. –The Women in White by Sarah Pekkanen

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When my best friend asks me to do a buddy read with her, I don’t even need to know what the book is before I answer yes. Because as if texting each other 24/7 about every moment of our lives wasn’t already enough, we always need a book to add to the mix.

And that is how I ended up reading The Women in White by Sarah Pekkanen, and I’m really glad I did (my best friend can never steer me wrong). I went into this expecting a mystery thriller (one of her favorite genres), and while I did enjoy the mystery, that wasn’t what actually kept me invested.

I found myself way more interested and invested in just the women. Even with their very different personalities and life experiences, their relationships with one another was this incredibly strong sisterly bond.

Kind of like what me and my bestie have.

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The Women in White Synopsis

The Women in White by Sarah Pekkanen is told in dual timelines. The story moves between 1964 and the present day. In 1964, four friends––Betty, Ivy, Kathleen, and Helen–– are brought together as the test subjects of an experiment. Under the guide of the strange (completely unhinged and appalling) Dr. Trimble, the four women are studied and tested for their telepathic abilities.

In the present day, we follow Riley who becomes employed by an elderly Betty, who only wants to reconnect with the three women she became so close with yet hasn’t seen in decades.

The Women in White Review

I went into The Women in White expecting a twisty thriller, but I think I ultimately enjoyed it more as a historical story about four very different women brought together by an extraordinary turned unsettling experience.

The women were absolutely the heart of this book for me.

While the mystery didn’t always give me the level of suspense I was hoping for, the women kept me so invested from beginning to end.

What worked for me:

I absolutely loved living in the 1964 timeline and getting to know Betty, Ivy, Kathleen, and Helen. As individuals and as a group of four, they were each so different from one another yet formed such a strong bond.

The 1960s setting felt really important for this story, especially since the women found themselves trapped in a world where men held far too much authority over them and what they were allowed to do/not do. The experiments become so unsettling as their abilities are studied further and their boundaries are pushed to an abusive level.

As their circumstances became more complicated and far too controlled, it almost felt claustrophobic reading about the experiments. The women trapped with no sense of an end date. Ivy struggling postpartum. The relentless waking throughout the night, forced to write down their dreams.

I thought Sarah Pekkanen did a wonderful job creating this feeling of unease for readers that mirrored what the women were enduring.

The writing made me feel completely immersed in the story. Even when I wasn’t completely invested in figuring out the mystery, I was truly always invested in all of the women.

What didn’t work:

That said, I do think the thriller aspect was the weaker part of the book for me. I enjoyed the mystery, and I didn’t see the final “whodunit” reveal coming, but I found myself wishing there had been more tension and suspense throughout. The historical storyline and the relationships between the women kept me invested, but I wanted the mystery to keep me on the edge of my seat a little more.

Although, in all fairness, I read the ending while being driven home after a full day of riding rides at a theme park. I may have already experienced my fair share of suspense for the day.

Ultimately, the historical storyline and the relationships between these four women pulled me in so deeply that the mystery sometimes felt almost secondary. I wouldn’t necessarily call the thriller aspect nonexistent, but I definitely wished for more.

Should I Read The Women in White by Sarah Pekkanen?

If you’re looking for a twisty thriller, I would go into this story without those expectations. But if you’re interested in a historical fiction centered around women along with some mystery and psychological unease, I think there’s plenty here for you to love!

The Women in White gave me this amazing group of women I truly cared for, along with a richly detailed historical background, plus a dual timeline that I absolutely flew through.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Thank you so much NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC!