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1954: In the quaint town of Mendol, Oklahoma, Bailey Dowery is a Black dressmaker for the wives and daughters of local oil barons. She earns a good living fitting designer gowns and creating custom wedding dresses for the town’s elite. But beyond her needle and thread lies a deeper talent, one passed down from her mother: the gift of insight. With just a fleeting touch or brush against the skin, Bailey has sudden flashes of intuition— witnessing the other person’s hopes, dreams, and nightmares, as well glimpses of their past and future. To protect herself, she wears gloves to keep from grazing the skin of her clients as she pins them into their gowns.
The Secret Keeper of Main Street by Trisha R. Thomas, and I have mixed feelings about it. I enjoyed the story overall, but there were times I found myself confused about who was who; especially since I listened to the audiobook. That might’ve played a part, but there were definitely moments where I had to pause and think, wait, which character is this again?
What really drew me in was the magical element. Bailey Dowery, a Black dressmaker in 1954 Oklahoma, has this haunting ability where she gets visions when she touches people or things they’ve handled. And these aren’t gentle flashes of intuition, they’re intense and physical. She feels what they’ve felt, as if she’s right there in the moment, sometimes even seeing them naked in her visions. It’s unsettling but fascinating, and easily one of the most unique parts of the story.
Bailey herself is such an interesting character. She works for wealthy white families, sewing their fancy dresses and listening to their secrets, but she’s still on the outside looking in. Her position gives her access to both privilege and pain, and she carries the weight of seeing people’s truths whether she wants to or not.
Then there’s Elsa, who’s caught in the middle of it all. She’s deeply affected by her mother, Ingrid—the kind of dangerous white woman who could destroy lives in 1954 and honestly still could today. Ingrid’s choices and sense of entitlement ripple through everyone’s lives, shaping Elsa in painful ways that she doesn’t even realize until it’s too late.
A big theme in this story is how parents make choices they believe are right for their children, but those choices can end up causing more hurt than help. You really see that play out through Elsa and the consequences of what her parents thought was “best.”
The book has a little bit of everything; mystery, history, love, a touch of magical realism, and a whole lot of interconnected secrets. If you like stories that mix all those things together, this one might be worth a read.
By the end, everything gets wrapped up in a neat bow, maybe too neat for me. Even the racism that loomed large throughout the story seems to just fade away in the final moments, with everyone suddenly riding through the South like everything’s fine now. It was a little too tidy, but still, I liked the journey getting there.
A solid read, but not one that stuck with me after finishing.
The Book Review Template is perfect for taking quick notes on how you feel about the characters, theme, plot, or whatever seems important to you. Additionally, there are helpful phrases and descriptors to help write your review.
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