Pretty Girls

Claire is petite and birdlike, a natural blonde, and very pretty. She lives off Paul’s income and entertains herself with various volunteering opportunities and tennis matches. She enjoys the pleasures of having a high income, especially because she prefers to blend into the background and let others take care of things for her. Unfortunately, this predilection positions her to be easily manipulated.

Claire is the youngest of the Carroll daughters, and she unfortunately suffered greatly after Julia’s disappearance due to the unavailability of her parents. She is a quiet, shrewd observer who has an uncanny gift of knowing when others are lying. She bottles down her own emotions and trauma until she feels the need to commit an explosive action, like capping a knee with a tennis racket or setting a house on fire. She deliberately chooses not to have children due to her isolating and unfulfilling childhood.

As the novel progresses, however, Claire must confront her in role in her family’s fracturing and the weaknesses in her character. Though the discovery of Paul’s involvement in the snuff film ring after his apparent death initially overwhelms her, Claire learns to trust in her resolve and intuition. As the authorities fail her, she also learns to rely on her family, discovering that her perception of their damaged dynamic was based on an incomplete understanding of what happened after Julia’s disappearance.