These Things Hidden by Heather GudenkaufTold from the point of view of four women, women whose lives intersect in ways neither they, nor the reader, sees coming, this novel reveals the story at its core bit by bit. Allison is in jail for drowning her newborn daughter and is now out and trying to put her past behind her. Brynn, Allison’s sister, wants nothing more than to forget her sister and put the stigma of her sister’s crime behind her. Charm is taking care of her dying stepfather and visiting the bookstore in town as often as she can to visit the boy she gave up. Claire is the mother of little Joshua, the child she always wanted and finally received when as a newborn he was left on the steps of a firehouse.
It’s obvious that Joshua is the link between these four women, and while certain truths seem clear, the waters running through this story are murky at best. Part women’s fiction, part suspense, all well-plotted, this is quick read that has, quite correctly I feel, been compared to Jodi Picoult’s best picks.
