The Belles

The Belles by Lacey N. Dunham is an atmospheric Southern gothic novel that shines a light on the dark side of tradition, privilege, and the desire to belong. 

The Belles are six first-year students in 1951 at the fictional Bellerton College located in the southwest Virginia mountains, and they all have a perfect facade - but what is hiding underneath? 

We are first introduced to Deena, who did not come from a wealthy family like her classmates or have the same prep school opportunities, etc. so found herself without the right clothes, supplies, or even common references and language - and she is constantly deeply aware of it. 

The rest of the Belles are made up of the legacy of Bellerton, de facto leader Ada May, Nell, whose parents recently divorced, Prissy, who may know Deena’s secret about her past, Fred, who is lesbian - which is definitely not allowed at Bellerton - or in 1951, and Sheba - who takes an immediate dislike to Deena because Deena (at Ada May’s urging) took the room initially assigned to her. She is also kinda Fred’s girlfriend. 

As the group embraces the identity of the Belles bestowed upon them by the school president’s wife, promising to be perfect models of young ladies, representing all that it means to be a Bellerton student and, probably most importantly- keep each other’s secrets, it becomes quickly apparent that anything that sets a girl apart - Deena’s old shoes, Nell’s St. Christopher’s medal, Prissy’s innocent comment about having milk with the cookie they’ve been served - could be dangerous - even deadly.

Dunham weaves in points of view from the different belles as well as other key characters, including their house mother, the president’s wife, the handsome new young poet/English teacher, and Mary, another student, as well as different times, as we catch up with some of the belles in 2002. So many voices in a fairly short novel could get messy, but Dunham successfully gives each a distinct voice and uses them to reveal just enough to keep us guessing and reading to uncover the truth of what’s happening to the young women who don’t belong at Bellerton. 

Stray thoughts: 

I grew up poor in Southwest Virginia and went to William and Mary (in Virginia) thanks to scholarships and grants - and even though it was a few decades after The Belles - it was not that different in some ways and is probably why I connected to Deena’s and even Nell’s, characters - even though they made some decisions I would not make. 

My high school principal was a state senator, and I thought it was funny that a character referred to her husband as “a senator for the commonwealth.” Some people really get hung up on that difference (state v. commonwealth). 

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advance copy for my honest review. Pub date 9/9/25

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