THE SECRETS WE KEEP

When high schooler Emma learns that her father has been arrested, she suspects that it is connected to her best friend, but she can’t imagine how much her world is about to change.

Emma quickly learns that her dad has been accused of inappropriate sexual contact by Hannah, the girl who rescued her from an otherwise friendless existence. The accusation is a bombshell that threatens to destroy the girls’ relationship as well as Emma’s family, which consists of her mom, dad, and 6-year-old brother. The gripping story unfolds in chapters alternating between Emma’s first-person narration of the present day and second-person narration of the past. This device builds suspense and helps readers string together clues. What was the scandal that made Emma’s family move from San Francisco to a small town in Oregon? Why does she sleep with a knife under her pillow? Vivid descriptions bring scenes to life while imaginative metaphors compassionately depict Emma’s interior struggles. In less deft hands the inclusion of fairy tales written by Emma in her diary might feel heavy-handed, but here they add to the thematic substance. Depictions of forensic interviewing and children’s advocacy centers add to the believability of the plot. A content warning foreshadows the difficult topics addressed. All main characters are White.

An exceedingly well-written, powerful, and suspenseful novel that lights the path toward truthfulness and healing.