2022 Book Review #9:Where the Truth Lies

 

Wow...an excellent, fast-paced suspense/mystery/drama and it's the author's  debut novel.  VERY well written! The author is 2 years younger than my oldest daughter!  She lives in France, was born and raised in the U.K and lived over here in Colorado to experience small town USA working as a Starbucks barista before writing this novel.  What a powerful book.

STORY SUMMARY

Abigail Blake and Emma Alvarez are best friends.  They are 17 years old.  Abigail lives with her alcoholic father Samuel and her mother Dolly who is a victim of domestic violence (mainly physical abuse but also some emotional and verbal abuse).  Abigail has an older brother Noah who works at the local diner and is struggling with sexual identity issues.  Their younger brother Jude, age 12, walks with a cane due to Samuel tossing him down the stairs when he was just 8 years old. 

Emma lives with her single mother Melissa who is a doctor at the clinic in the small town of Whistling Ridge.  The closest large towns/cities  are Estes Park and Boulder on the other side of the mountain. Emma doesn't really remember her dad, Miguel, a Latino.  Emma struggles with teenage drinking and gets bullied in school by the local racists who all happen to go to the local Baptist church where the pastor rules the roost....and the police department...and just about every family in the town. 

One spring evening, Abigail disappears into the woods.  And never comes out.   She and Emma had been at a party where teens are drinking and snorting cocaine. Emma is left with many questions that no adult or teenager can seem to answer. The police actually believe Abi ran away but Emma is convinced she would never do this to her...they KNEW each other....Emma just knows Abil would never leave without her! 

But police officers soon recover some evidence that is quite disturbing, nearby where Abi was last seen, and this starts some festering secrets to bubble to the surface.  There are long-standing resentments between Abigail's family and the people of Whistling Ridge. These secrets have devastating consequences. 

Some of the secrets: Abi's older brother Noah has a passionate and dangerous love for the handsome Romanian young adult named Rat. Rat is an immigrant who lives in an RV in the local trailer park owned by the very wealthy mill owner and operator Jerry Maddox. The Maddox family is known to be racist. 

Another secret is something that her younger brother Jude is holding onto....something he saw happen in his father's shed that he knows he should tell the police about but doesn't seem to have the words to do so; other secrets are the abuse the Blake family endures from the patriarch Samuel and the mother's silence about it all. The charismatic preacher is all "hell, fire and brimstone" and doesn't seem to know about the actual concept of grace and mercy that Jesus Himself exemplified and modeled. He quotes long passages to the congregation from the Old Testament laws yet neglects the love shown by Jesus found in the New Testament.  Most people are afraid to not do what Pastor Lewis commands. 

Abi herself has secrets of her own and the closer Emma gets to unraveling what they are, the further she feels from her best friend. In a small town like Whistling Ridge, all it takes is one spark of rage....the truth of what really happened that night...to change their community forever. 

MY THOUGHTS

Wow.  It's quite a powerful story and if you have any kind of trauma in your past related to alcoholism, drug addictions, domestic violence, rape/incest, bullying, you might be triggered by reading this. 

The story is fast-paced and so well written that I found it hard to believe the author is only 26 years old.  It brought up a lot of feelings from me regarding the small minds in certain parts of our nation in regards to people who are different from them.  There is a lot of racism in this book that comes out.....and homophobia. Twisted Scriptures as told by the pastor in the book.  Just stuff I have witnessed my self from certain people I know/relatives who are very judgemental and racist. 

Your heart will break for Emma and Abigail.  For Noah and for Rat.  For  Dolly and Jude. And for Hunter Maddox.  Your heart might even break a bit when you learn of Samuel's backstory.  You will feel rage and at times I felt a sense of helplessness.....because I know there are still people in our nation who feel this way about same sex relationships and Mexicans/Latinos....or anyone who is "different".  

The story does have a great and somewhat happy ending with a bit of a mystery lingering yet if you are carefully reading, you will many things that were foreshadowed and you can figure out what really happened with Abi. 

I don't want to say more as I don't want to spoil the plot or any surprises.

The character  development is spot on. The author does a great job with all of the various characters and their voices.  Also there are sections labeled Then and Now.  The Then is what took place in the past....the past Spring/Summer and the Now is the late Autumn. 

Themes in this story are revenge, betrayal, unforgiveness, forgiveness, a mother's love for her child.  The strongholds of domestic violence and the horrors of people looking away. Drug addiction and alcoholism play a significant role and I was super proud of the character Emma at the end when she told her mother she needed professional help.

This book will leave an impact on your heart.  I'm looking forward to more books by this author and I hope it happens.

In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 17 and older (due to the mature content).

On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this a 9.