What's Left Unsaid

Deborah Stone

Oct 2018 · Troubador Publishing Ltd

About this ebook

Sasha is just about managing to hold her life together. She is raising her teenage son Zac, coping with an absent husband and caring for her ageing, temperamental and alcoholic mother, as well as holding down her own job. But when Zac begins to suspect that he has a secret sibling, Sasha realises that she must relive the events of a devastating night which she has done her best to forget for the past nineteen years.
Sasha’s mother, Annie, is old and finds it difficult to distinguish between past and present and between truth and lies. As Annie sinks deeper back into her past, she revisits the key events in her life which have shaped her emotionally. Through it all, she remains convinced that her dead husband Joe is watching and waiting for her. But there’s one thing she never told him, and as painful as it is for her to admit the truth, Annie is determined to go to Joe with a guilt-free conscience.
As the plot unfurls, traumas are revealed and lies uncovered, revealing long-buried secrets which are at the root of Annie and Sasha’s fractious relationship.

Ratings and reviews

This is a lovely read; a peek into someone else's life and the secrets and lies which lie hidden there. Sasha works from home; she spends her days doing everything for her teenage son and husband - the husband who is at home less and less due to his work schedule. The only saving grace is Stanley, the family retriever. Sasha also has her elderly mother to look after; with a failing memory Annie has never been the easiest of parents to get along with. But slowly, we begin to understand what makes this family tick ... I wasn't quite sure where this one was going to begin with, but once I relaxed into it and sorted out who the characters were in my head, I really enjoyed the read! Every family has it's skeletons, but this family's are quite possibly a bit more shocking than most. Day to day events are followed mainly in Sasha's story, with the past being covered by Annie's memories - and there are some really shocking revelations in there! Her childhood moved me to tears and what followed can be tracked back to those events. It is quite obvious that the author is a dog lover; Stanley really comes to life on the page and his little foibles made me smile all the way through! Definitely an interesting book, my only criticism would be the speed it was all wrapped up with which seemed out of sync with the rest of the story. I do, however, enjoy a tale which is neatly finished off and this is definitely a very good read and one I'm happy to recommend. My thanks to Deborah Stone for my copy of her novel. The choice to read - and the opinions stated here - are entirely my own.

Sasha seems to be a normal middle aged woman leading a pretty standard life, but Stone opens the box to explore the complexities, the anger and the hurt hidden in the contradictions within her relationship wit her mother. At the same time she observes Sasha’s struggle with the developing emotional intellect of her teenage son. Both relationships are fuelled by the toxic power of secrets which unravel as the novel progresses. Alongside is the revelation of the true meaning of her own marriage, and her need to take into her own hands her ability to be happy. Joe, her father, speaks sense and comfort from the grave, and gives the story a gravitas and depth. A page turner of a first novel. Highly recommended.

Fabulous read!

About the author

Deborah Stone read English Literature at Durham University. She lives in North London with her husband, two sons and her dog.