I loved the relationships that had developed between the residents of Frick Island! But I wonder what it would be like to really live in such a small area with so few people? It could be interesting (and irritating) if there was an unpleasant resident or two!!
Having grown up going to a very small school, mainly observation was it was hard for people to change their perceptions of you. Just like in the story, the main character didn’t need the town to pretend anymore, but they did because they thought that was helping her.
A mystery series I enjoy is written by Louise Penny and it is set in a small village in Quebec. It has the same “vibe” as Frick Island. Everyone knows everyone and it is very close knit. I like returning to the same characters as I read the books.