The novel Such a Pretty Girl by Laura Wiser tells the story of Meredith Shale, a teenaged girl who faces a demon in her life and emerges victorious. In addition to the theme of facing one's fears, the story also follows Meredith's journey through a religious awakening where she goes from belief only in superstition and chance to the opinion that sometimes, miracles do happen.

Meredith's story begins on the day that her father is released from jail six years early on probation. Her father, Charles, had been in jail because he raped Meredith and also molested several boys. Meredith fears that now that he is out of jail, her father will come after her again. Her fears are made worse because her mother, Sharon, refuses to see Meredith's rape for what it was. She will not protect her daughter from her husband but instead insists that he live as close to them as possible.

Meredith does have a few friends who support her in her belief that her father will attack her again. Mrs. Paula Mues and her teenaged son, Andy, know first-hand of Charles' sickness as he molested Andy while having a year-long affair with Mrs. Mues. Nigel Balthazar is a retired police officer who arrested Charles after his first attack on Meredith. He supplies Meredith with nanny cams so they can build a case against her father. Leah Louisa Delkalp, Meredith's maternal grandmother, seeks guardianship of Meredith to get her out of reach of her pedophile father.

It is only his fourth day out of jail when Charles tries to rape Meredith again. With the nanny cams running, Meredith records the action, including her striking her father across the back with a three-foot tall oaken stature of the Virgin Mary. The statue had been given to Meredith by Andy while he was out-of-town visiting a victim soul in hopes of curing his paralysis. In what Meredith comes to believe is a miracle, the victim soul dies on the same day that she strikes her father in her efforts to ward off a second rape, paralyzing him. It is also on this day that Andy regains his ability to walk.