Review by Andrea Grigg
One thing I love about a Catherine
West story is that she never disappoints and her latest contemporary Christian novel
is no exception. Not only does ‘The Things We Knew’ have plenty of romance, it’s
also full of mysteries and family secrets. I loved it!
The story begins in Nantucket, Massachusetts, with twenty-four-year-old
Lynette Carlisle, childcare worker and closet artist, who is at her wits
end. She suspects her father has Alzheimers, the family home is falling down
around her, and there’s no money to fix it. None of her four siblings are
taking any of her concerns seriously, and to complicate things, Nick Cooper, the
boy next door, has arrived home, dredging up feelings Lynette never quite
buried.
One by one, Lynette’s four
siblings (David, Liz, Ryan and Gray) arrive home and that’s when the story amps
up. Although written from only three points of view (Lynette, Nick, and Gray) a
plethora of family dynamics and secrets are skilfully revealed as the siblings
and Nick confront each other with their realistic and sometimes heartbreaking
issues.
Overarching all of this is the
mystery surrounding the death of their mother, Diana Carlisle, twelve years
earlier. The police called it an accident, but no one seems to know exactly
what happened or why. As Lynette attempts to unlock her memories, she is
plagued by nightmares. Intriguingly, these come out in her paintings, which
even she can’t interpret.
Strand by sticky strand, the
mysterious knots unravel, and there’s more than one happy-ever-after to satisfy
my romantic heart. I loved the conflict between the characters and the
continually deepening complexities of both circumstance and relationships.
Interestingly, while ‘The Things
We Knew’ sits comfortably in the Christian arena, a number of the characters
are not believers, which I found refreshing something I’ve come to expect from
Catherine West.
Did I mention I loved this
story? ‘The Things We Knew’ gets five stars from me.
Thanks to Catherine West and
Harper Collins Christian Publishing for a free e-book for review.
Email: andreagrigg@live.com
