Following the death of her close friend, Elizabeth, Kate inherits a trunk of her journals that reveal a woman far different from the one she knew. A warm and compelling novel of friendship and the secrets we keep.
An absorbing, bittersweet novel that examines the vast grey area between protecting and deceiving the ones we love.' - Vanessa Diffenbaugh, author of The Language of Flowers
Before there were blogs, there were journals. And in them we'd write as we really were, not as we wanted to appear. But there comes a day when journals outlive us. And with them, our secrets.
Summer vacation with her family was supposed to be a restorative time for Kate, who'd lost her close friend Elizabeth in a plane crash. But when she inherits a trunk of Elizabeth's journals, they reveal a woman far different than the cheerful wife and mother Kate thought she knew.
The complicated portrait of Elizabeth - her upbringing, her marriage, and journey to motherhood - makes Kate question not just their friendship, but her own deepest beliefs about loyalty and honesty at a moment of uncertainty in her own marriage. When an unfamiliar man's name appears in Elizabeth's pages, Kate realises the extent of what she didn't know about her best friend, including where she was really going when she died.
Written with grace, depth, and honesty, this is a story of two women - their friendship, their marriages, private ambitions and fears. And what they chose to keep hidden.
'A smart, poignant novel about the bittersweet choices women make and the secrets they keep. This is one of those rare novels that's so real you forget it's written; I missed the characters when I was done.' Jenna Blum, New York Times bestselling author of Those Who Save Us