Big Lies in a Small Town: A Novel

The Section of Fine Arts approves Anna’s sketch—with a few minor revisions—and includes her first payment. She secures the help of two high school art students, but when she asks the mayor about locking the warehouse at night, he insists that it’s unnecessary and that her supplies will be safe. As she dines with Myrtle that evening, they propose various townswomen to act as models for the characters in the mural.

As Morgan continues to clean the mural, she stumbles upon another curiosity: a reflection in a mirror of a small, red-haired man. After work, she goes to the library to find more information on Anna. She finds a news clipping with a photograph of Anna standing next to the unpainted canvas. A boy and a Black man are also in the shot. After taking a photograph from the old news clipping, she attends an AA meeting, the topic of which is making amends. She fears that she will never be able to face Emily Maxwell for the irreparable damage she has caused.