These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Allison Glenn tried to hide what happened that night...and failed. The consequence? Five years in prison. Now she's free. But secrets have a way of keeping you caged...When Allison is sent to prison for a heinous crime, she leaves behind her reputation as Linden Falls' golden girl forever. Her parents deny the existence of their once-perfect child. Her former friends exult in her downfall. Her sister, Brynn, faces the whispered rumours every day in the hallways of their small Iowa high school. It's Brynn - shy, quiet Brynn - who carries the burden of what really happened that night. All she wants is to forget Allison and the past that haunts her. But then Allison is released, and is more determined than ever to speak with her sister. Now their legacy of secrets is focused on one little boy. And if the truth is revealed, the consequences will be unimaginable for the adoptive mother who loves him, the girl who tried to protect him and the two sisters who hold the key to all that is hidden. description from Goodreads
Heather Gudenkauf explores the "safe haven" laws in her book. She takes us into the lives of four women. The first is Allison, convicted of murdering her newborn baby, recently released from prison. Brynn, Allison's sister who helped her give birth in secret. Charm who took a baby boy and dropped him off at a firestation, and Claire, who stuggled for years with infertility and finally adopted a baby boy.
All four of these women are connected. The are all important in telling the story. I had a hard time with some of the disturbing elements to the story, but it is well written and sucks you right into the storyline.
For me it would be impossible to walk away from this story without thinking about it. I downloaded a copy from netgalley to review. It will be released in Feb. 2011
This is an adult book. There is a bit, not too bad, of swearing. The only concern is the sensitivity of the subject matter,
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Sounds like a very emotional read! I might have to request it from NetGalley.
ReplyDeleteI haven't reviewed this one yet, but I really liked the interplay and some of the twists that bring all of them together.
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