Two sisters, one living and one dead, return to the scene of their childhood in Jessica Hamilton’s debut, What You Never Knew. It turns out there’s quite a bit the Bennett sisters, May and June, never knew.
April Bennett always told her daughters she sold Avril Island on Lake Champlain after her husband left them. Thirty years later, May, the oldest of the sisters, discovers that was a lie when a lawyer tells her she inherited Avril Island. But, she’s so troubled by the news that she’s inattentive and is killed in a car accident. As one of the two narrators, the dead May’s only thought is, “June’s going to be so mad at me.”
June, the younger sister, is swept up by grief. Her ex-husband tries to intervene because their teen daughters need her, but she’s as shocked by the news of Avril Island as May was. She was twelve when April took the took girls, never to return to the island. But, it turns out that the controlling April told other lies.
For most of the years the family went to the island, June’s best friend was Ezra Keen, son of the island’s caretaker, West. When the grieving June returns to Avril Island, she runs into Ezra. Between his stories, and newspaper accounts, she uncovers stories she never knew. She thought their father deserted the family, and April sold the island. Newspaper accounts reveal stories of a search for her father, rumors of April’s affair with West Keen, and West’s arrest and subsequent disappearance. Although Ezra still blames April for his family’s problems, he has a hard time blaming June, although she’s stirring up trouble with her questions in the community.
While June interviews people and does research, May’s ghost lingers to watch over her beloved sister. But, even a ghost has secrets, long buried in the subconscious.
Some reviews have compared Hamilton’s debut to The Lonely Bones. I can’t say because I never read the earlier book. However, this suspense novel, told in alternating voices, is slow-paced with a conclusion that doesn’t really come as a surprise. It’s an atmospheric novel with an emphasis on place and characters. Those who have a great deal of patience may appreciate the slow reveal.
Jessica Hamilton’s website is https://www.jessicahamilton.org/
What You Never Knew by Jessica Hamilton. Crooked Lane Books, 2021. ISBN 9781643856964 (hardcover), 304p.
FTC Full Disclosure – I received a .PDF to review for a journal.
