Would you return to a family-owned island 30 years after an event that ripped your family apart? In Jessica Hamilton’s new psychological thriller What You Never Knew, Jane Bennett did just that….
When she was a child, June Bennett‘s family spent their summers on Avril Island in Lake Champlain. The Island had been gift to Avril Bennett from her new husband.
This family tradition ended tragically one night when June‘s father abruptly left his family. Now 30 years after that night, June discovers what she was told about her father‘s abrupt exit from their family may not have been the truth.
After the tragic death of her older sister May and her mother, June discovers that contrary to what she and May were told by their mother Avril Island was never sold after the family split apart!
So to help overcome her depression regarding the deaths and get her life back on track, June returns to Avril Island.
When she returns she discovers that the son of the family’s handyman West Keen, has in fact, been taking care of their cottage. It seems that West also left the Island just ten days after Jane‘s father left his family.
Are the two disappearances connected?? The more June digs into the past the more she discovers there are “things she never knew“
About What You Never Knew
What You Never Knew is Jessica Hamilton‘s debut as a novelist. She was born in Australia but grew up and resides in Canada. The book was published by Crooked Lane Books in April of 2021.
Thoughts About What You Never Knew
Overall, I thought What You Never Knew was a really good novel. The characters were well developed and there was a lot to like with each one.
Hamilton uses two narrators to tell the story. And while I’m not a fan of alternating narrators it works in this book. The narrators are June and her sister May (or May‘s spirit). It works because while May doesn’t know all that happened that night behause she has repressed those memories. she does know more than June.
Another aspect of the book, that bothered me. was the fact that June went to the Island ALONE! Then when she first visits the cottage it’s like they left it yesterday! It was 30 years…..no way these days the electrical and or pipes etc would still be in that house!
Then when Ezra Keen son of the handyman West shows up and it explains he has been taking care of and watching the place, I guess I felt better.
Overall, I found What You Never Knew a well pace novel with a strong storyline and well-developed characters.
Sister Dear’s author Hannah Mary McKinnon‘s comment on the back cover of the box sums it up pretty well for me
Eerie and compulsive..this debut had me riveted right from the start. Well plotted and with beautifully drawn characters, this is an excellent read.
Recommended to…..
Through the years What You Never Knew was not The type of book I normally read. My reads were manually either action thrillers from authors like Robert Ludlum , Brad Thor and Vince Flynn, or detective/private eye mysteries from folks like Janes Le Burke, William G Tapply or Lawrence Block.
However, lately I have read several psychological thrillers with involving families. So if I were recommending this book to othersI, guess I would recommend it to fans of; Mary Kubica, Liv Constantine, Joshilyn Jackson and another new author Taylor Adams., and many more authors of this ilk unknown to me!!
My Rating
The Goodreads rating for this book was 3.77 out of 5. My Rating on Goodreads was 4.00 but if I could break it down farther it would probably be 3.85 or so. Really good but those little things still bother me somewhat. But I will still be on the lookout for Jessica Hamilton’s next book!
Links for the Further Exploration of the Books of Jessica Hamilton
Author’s Website
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
Amazon
Goodreads