These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf
| These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf | |
|
| |
| Category: General Fiction | |
| |
Reviewer: Katie Pullen
 | |
| Summary: Allison Glenn is desperate for a second chance when she is released from prison, but soon discovers that her unspeakable crime is still very much in the present for herself and the other three women it still affects. A remarkable follow up to The Weight of Silence, this is another sad, unsettling and thought provoking read from Heather Gudenkauf. Highly recommended. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 352 | Date: March 2011 |
| Publisher: MIRA | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 978-0778304371 | |
|
Share on: | |
| Video:
| |
Golden girl Allison Glenn was living the perfect teenage life until she was imprisoned for a monstrous crime. Now she's twenty-one and has been released from prison to live in a halfway house. Allison is keen to put the past behind her, but when she returns to her home town of Linden Falls she soon discovers that no one has forgotten her crime, least of all her parents and her little sister, Brynn.
Brynn is still deeply tormented by the events that took place five years ago, so much so she has moved away from her family to live with her grandmother, but is still unable to forget or forgive. For Allison and Brynn, and also the lives of bookstore owner Claire and local girl Charm, are intrinsically linked by one little boy, and soon the secrets locked away for five years begin to resurface.
I just knew from the first page of this book that I was going to be impressive with an enviable ability to keep me guessing. We know very little of what has happened to Allison at the start and it takes some skill to be able to slowly and subtly deliver the truth to the reader without spilling it all in one go. Even when things are revealed I still wanted to keep reading as I knew there must be more. Her writing is once again easy going, but intense as we are introduced to the small American town of Linden Falls. This is where the story plays out, a story which is sad and very dark, with little lightness, but somehow manages to be engrossing rather than depressing. With its short chapters, it really is a page turner, full of surprises and plenty to think about.
In a similar way to The Weight of Silence, the characters at the heart of the story each have their own narrative, but Allison and Brynn's are told in the first person, with Claire and Charm's in the third person. For me, this mirrors the role these women take in the book and indeed the events of five years previously. Allison and Brynn are very much present and active narrators and allowing them to speak first hand made me feel I was right there with them experiencing their pain and anguish, as well as their hopes. There were several occasions when I started to well up, a sure sign these character had gotten under my skin. Claire and Charm in contrast are somewhat passive, neither knowing exactly what Allison did, so their narratives seem one step removed, but equally interesting and important to the story.
Like The Weight of Silence, These Things Hidden is full of uncomfortable themes which have clearly been well researched as they are dealt with compassionately and with great understanding. I almost felt I was reading a true story. There is also nothing predictable about this book which is particularly impressive from such a new writer and an ability I hope she will go on to maintain for years to come.
If you enjoyed The Weight of Silence you will definitely relish every page of These Things Hidden. It is an exceptional follow up and a story that will stay with you long after the last page has been turned, clearly confirming Gudenkauf's place in contemporary fiction and her increasing brilliance as a writer.
I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to The Bookbag.
Further Reading Suggestion: If you haven't read it yet I highly recommend Heather Gudenkauf's The Weight of Silence. Otherwise you may also enjoy Room by Emma Donoghue.
Please share on: 
Facebook, 
Twitter and
Instagram
You can read more book reviews or buy These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
Template:Waterstonestext
Comments
Like to comment on this review?
Just send us an email and we'll put the best up on the site.
