Review: Truths I Never Told You

Title: Truths I Never Told You

Author: Kelly Rimmer

Publisher: 25th February 2020 by Hachette Australia

Pages: 336 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: fiction

My Rating: 4.5 cups

Synopsis:

It begins with the discovery of a tattered letter in the attic ... A heart-tugging story of family secrets by the Top 10 bestselling Australian author

1959: Grace is a young mother with four children under four. All she ever wanted was to have a family of her own, but there are thoughts Grace cannot share with anyone in the months after childbirth. Instead she pours her deepest fears into the pages of a notebook, hiding them where she knows husband Patrick will never look. When Grace falls pregnant again, she turns to her sister Maryanne for help.

1996: When Beth's father Patrick is diagnosed with dementia, she and her siblings make the heart-wrenching decision to put him into care. As Beth is clearing the family home, she discovers a series of notes. Patrick's children grew up believing their mother died in a car accident, but these notes suggest something much darker may be true.

Truths I Never Told You is the unputdownable, unforgettable story of motherhood and marriage by Kelly Rimmer, author of Before I Let You Go and The Things We Cannot Say.

My Thoughts

"Sometimes moments of change happen during quiet conversations like this, when a simple shift in perspective empowers you to make a choice you just haven’t been able to make before.” 

Truths I Never Told You is yet another winning tale by Kelly Rimmer - she never fails to deliver on the emotional stakes. Not only is she a great storyteller, but she stands up ready to tackle issues that many an author may shy away from and she does so with such sensitivity and compassion. This book left me fairly speechless as it is just so emotional and really pulls at one's heartstrings. 

I am a fan of dual time narratives especially when done well and this is one such example. Told by main characters past and present, provides real depth to the tale from differing viewpoints. You cannot help but empathise given the circumstances and combined with the quality of writing that elicits such responses from a diverse array of characters. Kelly’s writing is completely addictive as she compels you to keep turning those pages to reach a conclusion. She Is an author you must try if you have not already done so. 

"I feel his absence. The room smells like Dad - his aftershave and deodorant linger in the air. This scent is warm hugs on sad days .... Dad, how am I ever going to survive without you?" 

Detailing life in the 1950s and present day, the focus mainly surrounds that of postnatal depression - how the two eras tackle it is rather striking. There are other issues covered as well in the book such as dementia  and family dynamics - all equally compelling in my opinion. There are many secrets that are slowly revealed over the course of reading, demonstrating Kelly’s writing is not only one of compassion but also intrigue, yet another highlight. 

This is a book I highly recommend as the depth and breadth is really quite remarkable. The comparisons between the generations is a revelation. An incredibly moving story that will surely break your heart in places. Kelly’s research on the social topics, the way she captures and engages through quality characters and cleverly tying the narrative all together so well at the end is a recommendation in itself to read this book. Keep tackling the big stories Kelly, you do it with such aplomb, it is a credit to you and keeps your readers coming back for more. 

"This was what I failed to understand about love before I experienced it myself. Love doesn’t just need compromise to survive - love, to its very essence, is compromise. It’s genuinely wanting what’s best for the other person, even when it trumps your own preferences." 

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.