ABOUT THE BOOK
Truths I Never Told You : A Novel
Kelly Rimmer
On Sale Date: April 14, 2020
Imprint: Graydon House
9781525804601, 152580460X
Trade Paperback
$16.99 USD, $22.99 CAD
Fiction / Historical
352 pages
After finding disturbing journal pages that suggest her late mother didn't die in a car accident as her father had always maintained, Beth Walsh begins a search for answers to the question -- what really happened to their mother? With the power and relevance of Jodi Picoult and Lisa Jewell, Rimmer pens a provocative novel told by two women a generation apart, the struggles they unwittingly shared, and a family mystery that may unravel everything they believed to be true.
With her father recently moved to a care facility because of worsening signs of dementia, Beth Walsh volunteers to clear out the family home to prepare it for sale. Why shouldn’t she be the one, after all? Her three siblings are all busy with their families and successful careers, and Beth is on maternity leave after giving birth to Noah, their miracle baby. It took her and her husband Hunter years to get pregnant, but now that they have Noah, Beth can only feel panic. And leaving Noah with her in-laws while she pokes about in their father’s house gives her a perfect excuse not to have to deal with motherhood.
Beth is surprised to discover the door to their old attic playroom padlocked, and even more shocked to see what’s behind it – a hoarder’s mess of her father’s paintings, mounds of discarded papers, and miscellaneous junk. Her father was the most fastidious, everything-in-its-place man, and this chaos makes no sense. As she picks through the clutter, she finds a handwritten note attached to one of the paintings, in what appears to be in her late mother’s handwriting. Beth and her siblings grew up believing Grace Walsh died in a car accident when they were little more than toddlers, but this note suggests something much darker may be true. A frantic search uncovers more notes, seemingly a series of loose journal entries that paint a very disturbing portrait of a woman in profound distress, and of a husband that bears very little resemblance to the father Beth and her siblings know.
A fast-paced, harrowing look at the fault in memories and the lies that can bond families together - or tear them apart.
My Review
Beth Walsh is dealing with some heavy issues right now. Her father is suffering from dementia, which is getting worse by the day. With heavy hearts, Beth and her three siblings must place their father in a health facility as they cannot care for him on their own. Beth volunteers to clean out his house and is surprised when one room is locked and she is unable to find the key.
Once Beth gets the door open, she discovers her father was a secret hoarder. The room has his paintings plus quite a bit of garbage and papers. Beth goes through everything and is surprised to find notes from her late mother scattered in the debris. She’s stunned when she realizes her mother died earlier than she and her siblings were led to believe. To add to her shock, the man described in the notes doesn’t sound like the loving father she grew up with.
Beth is determined to find out the truth, but she’s hampered with her own issues as well. She has a newborn son and not handling it very well. Still, she wants to know about her family.
This book is a large slice of life. The issues involved from dementia to postpartum depression are all realistic and can happen to anyone. The author portrays the issues in a poignant, touching way. I felt like I was on an emotional roller coaster reading this one.
I could not put this one down. I cried along with Beth and her family. I could feel their pain. This book goes between the late 1950's and the late 1990’s. It’s told from the POV of three generations of Walsh women. It’s beautifully written. My eyes were blurred with tears by the time I got to the last page. It’s a book that touched by heart and stayed with me long after I finished reading.
If I rated books higher than five stars, this would be one of those. It’s my favorite of the year, so far,
FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kelly Rimmer is the worldwide and USA TODAY bestselling author of Before I Let You Go, Me Without You, and The Secret Daughter. She lives in rural Australia with her husband, two children and fantastically naughty dogs, Sully and Basil. Her novels have been translated into more than twenty languages. Please visit her at www.Kelly.Rimmer.com
SOCIAL LINKS:
Facebook: @Kellymrimmer
Twitter: @KelRimmerWrites
Instagram: @kelrimmerwrites
BUY LINKS:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Truths-I-Never-ToldYou/dp/152580460X/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1573152440&sr=8-1
IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781525804601
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/truths-i-never-told-you-kelly-rimmer/1132362557?ean=9781525804601
Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/truths-i-never-told-you/id1460246211
Books-A-Million: https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Truths-Never-Told/KellyRimmer/9781525804601?id=7731552460675
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=x1-TDwAAQBAJ
Wow, it really impressed you. Fantastic!
ReplyDeleteSounds really good. I need to look into this one, first time me hearing of it.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds interesting.
ReplyDeleteYour review is wonderful. It makes me really want to read the book now.
ReplyDeleteWe definitely had different feelings about this book but I definitely agree that what the main character is dealing with is very much a slice of life. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author even though this book didn't work for me.
ReplyDelete