‘The Weight of Blood’: Laura Mchugh’s debut novel striking

'The Weight of Blood” by debut author Laura McHugh begins the way all good crime novels should: with a body.

When the dismembered body of Cherie, a troubled teen, is discovered stuffed in a tree, residents of the small town of Henbane, Missouri (pop. 707) are morbidly fascinated. But when her case remains unsolved after a year, the duty of keeping Cherie's memory alive largely falls to Lucy, Cherie's neighbor and only friend.

But 'The Weight of Blood” isn't just the story of Cherie's murder. It's also the story of Lucy's mother, Lila, who disappeared when Lucy was two. While Lucy originally believed these terrible crimes were committed at the hand of an outsider, slowly she begins to see this may be the work of someone very close to her: 'Just because you don't see the devil doesn't mean he isn't there. He doesn't carry a pitchfork. He hides in plain sight.”

McHugh succeeds on a number of levels with this novel. 'The Weight of Blood” is both a gripping – at times nauseating – crime novel and a beautifully written literary debut. McHugh weaves together multiple points of view, drawing largely on Lucy and her mother, resulting in a complex plot that easily moves across generations.

Perhaps most striking is how, in McHugh's capable hands, the town of Henbane and the Ozark region become unsettling characters in their own right. McHugh's lush prose makes the hills and hollers come alive, making the environment both a refuge for characters and a terrifying last resort.

A striking debut from a new literary talent, McHugh asks: What is the weight of blood? How far will - and should - a person go to protect family? The answer is both haunting and heartbreaking.