These Things Hidden

These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was a quick read. It took a little bit of getting used to as the story was told jointly by 4 characters. Some had a 1st person POV and some had 3rd person POV, which made it difficult to follow at times. I thought the story was over-dramatized. There was information intentionally left out or mis-spoken to give an impression and then led up to a big dramatic reveal at the end. I didn't feel connected to the characters, I felt some of the dramatization and reactions weren't realistic.

Synopsis: When teenager Allison Glenn 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 her downfall. Her sister, Brynn, faces whispered rumors 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 to a halfway house, and is more determined than ever to speak with her estranged 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.

Recommended Reading:
Luka and the Fire of Life by Salman Rushdie
The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf
Great House by Nicole Krauss
True Grit by Charles Portis
The Three Weissmans of Westport by Cathline Schine