This article was written for Annabel & Grace, which is now part of Rest Less.
BOOK DESCRIPTION: In 1964 Maggie wakes to find herself in a psychiatric ward, not knowing who she is or why she has been committed. She slowly begins to have memories of a storm and of a man called Jack and slowly the pieces of the past begin to come together…In 2008 Jonathan is struggling to put his differences with his parents aside to tell them he and his wife are expecting a baby, when a detective arrives to question him about crimes committed long ago…And as these two tales interweave, the secrets of the past, long kept hidden, start to come to light in unexpected and sometimes startling ways. The Things We Never Said is a powerful novel about fatherhood and motherhood; nature and nurture; cruelty and kindness; and mental breakdown. Written in beautiful, compelling prose, it is by turns revealing, witty and moving.This book is story-telling at its very best. It is very rare that I read a book in one weekend but this one was so compelling I could not stop reading. About halfway through you realise how the two stories are going to become entwined however it does not stop you reading to the end. The characters are compelling, not always likeable but very real as they each make mistakes, take wrong decisions and so it makes the story very believable. It is tender and emotional and shows how much the past is so important to understanding the present. I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book as I had heard nothing about it and only bought it because it was recommended by Amazon and is currently only £1.95!