Truths I Never Told You will surely tug at your heart. This poignant story, set in two time periods, is a raw and emotional read.
It’s 1957 and after giving birth to her fourth child, Grace is overcome with what we now know is postpartum depression, “there are four souls in this house, but I am unreachably far from any of them, even as I’m far too close to guarantee their safety.” In the 1950s, women suffering from this illness were told to “pull yourself together.”
In 1996, Grace has long passed and her daughter Beth is also dealing with the same malady as well as trying to cope with the impending death of her beloved father. Beth’s family, which includes her husband and three siblings, can see she is not herself yet even being a trained therapist, she is not able to seek help for her growing depression.
While cleaning out her father’s attic, Beth discovers clues leading her to question how her mother died and the type of man her father might have been at an earlier time. A third narrator is introduced later in the book - Maryanne, Grace’s sister, an independent women atypical in the 1950s. We learn of Maryanne’s life choices and the impact she had on Grace’s family.
Ms. Rimmer sensitively deals with depression, honesty, the trials of parenthood and the decline of an aging parent.
Many thanks to Edelweiss, Graydon House / HarperCollins and the immensely talented Kelly Rimmer for an advance copy of this wonderful book whose characters will surely stay with me for a long time. I loved the author’s book The Things We Cannot Say and this latest book was high on my 2020 must-read list. It certainly fulfilled my high expectations. This is a perfect book for a Book Club.
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Historical Fiction / Mystery.
Publication Date: April 14, 2020.
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