~The Things We Wish Were True by Marybeth Mahew Whalen~
“So I actually saw,with my own eyes, the spider web that was woven across the gate…”
What a web of secrets, lies, and deceit the people of Sycamore Glen have entangled themselves in!
Sycamore Glen appears to be the perfect neighborhood, but everyone here has a secret. The story is told in multiple points of view: Jencey is newly returned to her hometown with her two girls in tow, young Cailey lives in the neighborhood “eyesore” with her mother and younger brother, Bryte seems to have it all but is terrified of losing it, and Zell has her own secrets. The darkest secret of all belongs to another in their midst.
This is a novel that makes you question how well you know the people who live around you, and wonder what you would be willing to do the keep secrets that would protect the ones you love.
This was a quick read with intricate story lines and a satisfying ending of redemption and lessons learned.
This is the second novel I have read by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen, and I like it as much as I liked the first one. I will certainly look for more by the author.
“There were things she wished were true, and there was what was actually true. She was learning that there was usually a great distance between the two.”
“This was how people healed: they went and did something–anything they could–to redeem the situation.”
“How surprisingly easy it was to decide to change your life forever, and how surprisingly easy it was to keep that decision from the one you loved most.”
Donna Jo Stone 