Plastic

by Margaret Gracie

Deborah Pearce has it all. The former Miss America lives an enviable life in La Jolla, California, with a modelling career, a doting husband, two kids and all the fashionable clothing money can buy.

Somehow, it isn’t enough. Image-obsessed Debbie is plagued by dissatisfaction, anxiety and an unquenchable desire for admiration. Her once-promising career is stagnant, the value of her brand diminishing with every passing day. Her two children, neither beautiful nor charming, become petulant and resentful in the face of her ill-concealed disappointment, acting out in ways that have far-reaching consequences for the entire family. But Debbie refuses to let that stop her from striving toward the life she craves ... until one day her seemingly perfect world pulls her under, threatening to drown her in disappointed hopes.

Told from the perspectives of eleven interconnected characters, Plastic is a story of loneliness and longing, of alienation and acceptance, and of the never-ending pursuit of the American Dream.

232 pages, Paperback

Published June 1, 2017

Reviews

[Annemarie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed reading this book. I was hooked on the characters, and their trials and tribulations, and looked forward to reading a bit each night. I particularly liked the fact that each character had a 'chapter' to themselves where we could read about events from their own perspectives and points of view.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Margaret Gracie's debut novel, Plastic, pulls back the layers of perceived perfection in a shallow world where beauty and success are measured at face value. The central character, Debbie, a former Miss America, is clinging to a fantasy life because she believes her only worth is what the world sees on the outside and she strives desperately to maintain that image not only for herself, but also her crumbling family. The price paid only brings a surge of self-doubt and suffering. The truth is you can't buy love and happiness, and beauty is not skin deep. Gracie's writing is honest, polished, and brings the reader into the characters' lives in a way that intimately explores what is going on deep within, behind their eyes and opaque smiles. This book may appear to be a light read, despite its darker subject matter; however, it holds an important message. Peel back the layers. Highly recommended.

[Liz Rachel Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book! Plastic is a fantastic collection of linked short stories by Margaret Gracie. The story revolves around Debbie Pearce, a model and former beauty queen who struggles to be happy despite her outwardly wonderful life. The author tells Debbie's story through the points of view of numerous characters, including Debbie herself, and these changes in perspective gradually give readers a deeper understanding of who Debbie is, as well as who her family and friends are, as they deal with dramatic events that connect all of their lives. The book's character development is excellent, the plot suspenseful, and the theme oh-so-topical: the complicated relationship between beauty, status, image, happiness, and women's place in contemporary Western society.

[Elizabeth McPhee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book very much. It was hard to put down!

[Barbara Sibbald]

I'm not impartial... Margaret published with Porcupine's Quill, same as me.
Suffice to say, this is a compelling tale.