Book Review: These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf

I promise I did not mean to read quite so much this month. This kind of just...happened. I'm not complaining, but it's certainly unexpected. For example, the other night, I went to wash some fabric. I planned to cut the pattern for a beautiful dress. However, my plans were ruined when I found the washer in use. (I share an apartment with 3 other people, so this happens from time to time). So, I decided to sit down and read "just for a little bit" until the other person was done with the washer.

HA.

Read "just for a little bit"? This was simply not possible after one chapter in Heather Gudenkauf's These Things Hidden. You'll understand; here's the Goodreads summary:

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.

 

After just two hours reading, I was almost halfway through and completely hooked. This story, much like Gudenkauf's other novel, is told from several points of view. In this case, the readers experience the perceptions of Allison, her sister Brynn, Claire (a local bookstore manager) and Charm (you have to read the novel to discover her role). Chapter after chapter, the horrible past of Allison and her sister Brynn spill out of the pages. The secret held between these sisters and another family in the community is too much for them to bear, especially when the past comes back to haunt them. 

I finished this novel in under 6 hours and was so entranced by it, I pre-ordered Heather Gudenkauf's One Breath Away, in stores June 26th. I highly recommend this for anyone who likes an enticing, exciting read.

Here's where this book has gotten me so far this year:

These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf

Rating: 5/5

Pages: 337

2012 Reading Goal: 11,314/15,000 (75%!)

Seriously, readers, pick up one of her books. They're incredible! I can't wait to curl up with my Kindle and read One Breath Away. SO. EXCITED! Gudenkauf is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors...